INDIRECT NEGOTIATIONS ON a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas resumed in Qatar today.

US President Donald Trump has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop his military’s counteroffensive on Gaza.

A meeting was held this morning focusing on the implementation of a ceasefire, a Palestinian source told the AFP news agency.

Discussions centred on the withdrawal of the Israeli military and the supply of humanitarian aid, which has been blocked from entering Gaza by Israel for months, the source said.

“No breakthrough has been achieved so far, and the negotiations are ongoing,” a different Palestinian source told the agency.

It comes as Netanyahu travelled to Washington for his third visit since Trump’s return to power.

The US President said he believes a deal can be reached to put an end to the conflict which has seen Israel kill at least 57,523 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.

“I think things are going along very well,” Trump told reporters, later adding that Hamas was willing to end the conflict in Gaza.

“They want to meet, and they want to have that ceasefire,” Trump said at the White House.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was set to join the talks in Doha this week. However, Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza, said Israel would “always” keep control over the region.

Israel has restricted the delivery of humanitarian aid and media access into Gaza since its war with Hamas began following the 7 October attack in 2023. The International Criminal Court allege Netanyahu and his ministers have used starvation as a weapon.

One of the terms in the US-backed peace deal is for the Israeli military and Hamas to pull out of Gaza entirely, allowing for a new regime to take effect.

However, all attempts to reach that point in the plan have failed after Israel breached previous truce agreements, for a variety of reasons.

While Israel has the full backing of the US administration, Trump has increasingly pushed for an end to the war in Gaza. 

- © AFP 2025, with reporting by Muiris Ó Cearbhaill