Egypt says Gaza cease-fire talks in Qatar 'serious;' offers hope for ending war

​​​​​​​By Ibrahim Khazen

CAIRO (AA) - Egypt said Wednesday that the Gaza Strip’s cease-fire talks in the Qatari capital of Doha concluded and were serious, holding out hope for an end to the months-long war in the enclave.

According to a high-level source cited by Cairo News Channel, the talks concluded with the participation of Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya.

The talks were described as “serious and a potential sign of hope for resolving the crisis,” the source added, although no details were provided.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack in early last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 41,100 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and more than 95,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the territory’s entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio