Screen grab from the live video shared by Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Doha, Qatar: Negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages" on Tuesday, said Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari adding that they were hopeful an agreement could be reached "very soon".
Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages held in Gaza.
In the weekly media briefing today, January 14, 2024, foreign ministry spokesperson said negotiations were in their "final stages".
"We do believe that we are at the final stages... certainly we are hopeful that this would lead very soon to an agreement," Ansari said, adding "until there is an announcement... we shouldn't be over-excited about what's happening right now".
"We have reached a point where the major issues that were preventing a deal from happening were addressed," he told a news conference.
He further added later the talks were being held at the "highest level".
Even as intense diplomatic efforts continued towards a truce deal, Israeli forces pounded targets across Gaza.
The territory's civil defence agency said overnight air strikes and shelling killed at least 18 people in Gaza City in the north, the central area of Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis in the south.
"Last night was harsh and bloody," spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
The health ministry in Gaza said 61 people were killed in the Palestinian territory over the past 24 hours.
