A Palestinian boy sits on a damaged couch as he watches people clearing the rubble from a house that was hit in Israeli strikes at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 18, 2025. AFP
In a statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that "even at this very moment, the negotiation team in Doha is working to exhaust every possibility for a deal -- whether according to the Witkoff framework or as part of ending the fighting," referring to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff who has been involved in previous discussions.
Such a deal, according to Netanyahu's statement, would include the release of all the captives, the exile of Hamas, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip.
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said on Saturday that the talks in Doha had kicked off "without any preconditions from either side".
A Hamas source familiar with the negotiations said that "positions are being exchanged by both sides in an attempt at bridging perspectives", adding the group was approaching the talks with "great flexibility".
In Tel Aviv, demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday to protest against Netanyahu's government and demand it strike a deal to secure the release of the remaining Israelis held in Gaza.
"Instead of bringing them all home by agreeing to the deal that is on the table, Netanyahu is dragging us into a needless political war that will lead to the death of the captives and soldiers," said a protester told AFP.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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