WASHINGTON DC: The White House said that the latest Gaza cease-fire talks in Doha, Qatar, with top U.S. officials are off to a “promising start” but that closing a deal immediately appeared to be unlikely.
“Today is a promising start,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “There remains a lot of work to do. Given the complexity of the agreement, we do not anticipate coming out of these talks today with a deal,” he added.
The talks are expected to continue through Friday. CIA Director William Burns is among those in attendance.
Negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar met with a delegation from Israel. Hamas said Wednesday it would not take part in the talks, but representatives might meet with mediators later, the Reuters news agency reported.
Palestinian health officials said more than 40,000 people have died in Israel’s campaign in retaliation for the 1,200 people killed and 250 people captured by Hamas during a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
More than 100 hostages are still held in captivity. Palestinian officials say the war casualties are mostly women and children, while Israel says the majority are combatants.
