Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas are not close to reaching an agreement on a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, which is mediating the negotiations, said today.
“We are not close to an agreement,” spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.
He added that it does not appear that the two sides are focused on resolving the current misunderstanding in the negotiations.
The spokesman said that the talks are continuing.
At least 85 Palestinians have been killed and 130 wounded in Israeli attacks in the blockaded Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that Israeli forces carried out eight massacres in the past day.
“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads because rescuers cannot reach them,” the statement said.
Emphasizing that at least 25 people died as a result of malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, the Ministry announced that 72 percent of the victims of Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip are children and women.
At least 31,045 Palestinians have been killed and 72,654 wounded in the Gaza Strip since Israeli attacks began on October 7.
