Gaza: Mediators lament Israel's lack of interest in truce proposal

Mediators Egypt and Qatar were still waiting for Israel's response to a 60-day ceasefire proposal in Gaza Strip which has been accepted by Hamas, Qatari foreign minister said Thursday.

The proposal, which Egyptian and Qatari mediators delivered to Israel earlier this month calls for a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages and the handover of bodies of 18 dead ones, according to Arab mediators.

It also calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces to a buffer zone on Gaza borders, the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners as well as resuming negotiations for ending the war.

Qatar’s top diplomat Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that "these efforts have been met by more disregard.”

He spoke in a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in the Mediterranean coastal city of el-Alamein.

Abdelatty accused Israel of “obstiency,” and reiterated that the transfer of Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the West Bank remains a “red line.”

Both Al Thani and Abdelatty said they’re still working to reach a ceasefire deal, and urged the international community to stop the war and the famine in Gaza.

Aid groups warn that an expanded Israeli military offensive could worsen the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory, where most of the over 2 million residents have been displaced, neighborhoods lie in ruins and a famine has been declared in Gaza City.