Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Israel, Hamas 'stalling': Qatar

Negotiations between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas to secure a truce in Gaza and a release of hostages have stalled, Qatar's prime minister has said.

"We are going through a sensitive stage with some stalling, and we are trying as much as possible to address this stalling," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a news conference on Wednesday with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

Qatar, with the United States and Egypt, has been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks to secure a truce in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Negotiators are trying to "move forward and put an end to the suffering that the people in Gaza are experiencing and returning the hostages", Sheikh Mohammed said.

The mediators had hoped to secure a ceasefire before the start of Ramadan, but progress repeatedly faltered without any cessation of hostilities in the Muslim holy month which ended last week.

Instead, fears have grown of the months-long war in Gaza spilling over into a regional conflict after Iran's first-ever direct attack on its arch-foe Israel this weekend.

'Circle of conflict'

The Qatari premier said Doha had "warned from the beginning of this war against the expansion of the circle of conflict, and today we see conflicts on different fronts".

"We constantly call on the international community to assume its responsibilities and stop this war," he added, saying people of Gaza faced "siege and starvation" with humanitarian aid being used as a "tool for political blackmail".

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an October 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 33,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 76,500 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Hamas seized about 250 hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November.

Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.