'Gaza ceasefire talks have begun in Doha'

A senior Hamas official said a fresh round of Gaza ceasefire talks began on March 11 in the Qatari capital Doha, with the Palestinian movement approaching the negotiations "positively and responsibly".

Israel has also sent a team of negotiators for talks aimed at extending the fragile truce in Gaza, but has so far not commented on the talks. "A new round of ceasefire negotiations began today," Mr Abdul Rahman Shadid of Hamas said in a statement, AFP reports.

"Our movement is dealing with these negotiations positively and responsibly."

He added: "We hope that the current round of negotiations leads to tangible progress towards starting the second phase."

He also expressed hope that US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff would help "initiate negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement".

"The US administration bears responsibility due to its unwavering support for the occupying (Israeli) government."

The first 42-day phase of the truce deal expired in early March without an agreement on subsequent stages meant to secure a lasting end to the war, which erupted after Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

There are differing views on how to proceed, with Hamas seeking immediate negotiations for the next phase, while Israel wants to extend the first phase.
Hamas has accused Israel of reneging on the ceasefire deal, saying in a statement on March 10 that Israel "refuses to commence the second phase, exposing its intentions of evasion and stalling".

Ahead of the current round of talks, Israel halted the supply of electricity to Gaza's only desalination plant, a move Hamas condemned as "cheap and unacceptable blackmail".

Israel has already stopped aid deliveries to Gaza amid the deadlock over the ceasefire.

Hamas said in a separate statement: "Denying the flow of food, medicines, fuel and basic relief has led to a spike in food prices and a severe shortage of medical supplies, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

The initial phase of the truce brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US began on Jan 19, and helped reduce hostilities after more than 15 months of relentless fighting that displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.4 million residents.

While the fate of the ceasefire remains uncertain, both sides have largely refrained from all-out hostilities.

However, in recent days, Israel has conducted daily strikes targeting militants in Gaza.

On March 11, an Israeli air strike killed four men in Gaza City, according to the territory's civil defence agency.
The Israeli military said its air force had struck "several terrorists engaged in suspicious activity posing a threat to IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) troops".

During the ceasefire's first phase, 25 Israeli hostages and eight bodies were exchanged for around 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody.

Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack led to the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,503 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.

In recent days, the US' envoy for hostage affairs, Mr Adam Boehler, held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas and said an agreement for releasing more captives was expected "in the coming weeks".

But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down prospects of a breakthrough from those discussions.

"That was a one-off situation in which our special envoy for hostages, whose job it is to get people released, had an opportunity to talk directly to someone who has control over these people and was given permission and encouraged to do so," Mr Rubio told journalists late on March 10 in Jeddah.

"It hasn't borne fruit. But it... doesn't mean he was wrong to try."