White House in 'active conversations' with Türkiye, Qatar, Egypt over Gaza cease-fire

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House said Monday that it is in "active conversations" with Türkiye, Qatar and Egypt over efforts to broker a cease-fire to end Israel's over year-long war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

"Without doubt, 100% of our energy and effort is being put to try to get this, and really the main stumbling block continues to be Hamas. And we believe that as they look at the world right now, they ought to see just how isolated and weakened they are," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"It's time for Hamas to come to the table, and we're going to keep doing that. We're working with Qatar, Egypt, Turkey. Even as we speak, there are active conversations that our team's having with them to see if we can get this on the table. There's no reason why we can't do it. We just have to bring it home," he added.

The comments come after at least 200 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza Saturday, according to local health officials.

Since Oct. 5, Israel has launched a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza with the stated aim of preventing Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

For nearly two months, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, was allowed into the area, leaving most of the population there on the verge of imminent famine. More than 2,300 people have since been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities.

More than 44,400 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. The UN estimates that roughly 70% of the dead have been women and children.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.