Talks in Doha 'on the cusp of a deal' for ceasefire in Gaza, Israel tells UK & France

Israel has told the United Kingdom and France that it is on the cusp of a striking a deal with Hamas in the ongoing talks in Qatari capital Doha.

Since Thursday, the Israeli negotiators are holding indirect talks with Hamas in Doha through mediators Egypt and Qatar and facilitator the United States for a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages in captivity.

Now, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejourne have said that the Israeli government has told them they are “on the cusp of a deal” in the ongoing talks.

Lammy and Sejourne visited Israel on Friday and held talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

In a joint statement after the meeting, Lammy and Sejourne said the first day of the talks in Doha had gone well.

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“The reports out of Qatar suggests the first day of hostage talks has gone well and it has been important to listen to ministers here in Israel and hear too from them that they hope we are on the cusp of a deal,” said Lammy in the statement, according to The Guardian.

Lammy further said, “As we head now to 315 days of war the time for a deal – for those hostages to be returned, for aid to get in, in the quantities that are necessary in Gaza, and for the fighting to stop – is now. Of course that is the message that we have jointly underlined to ministers today, both in Israel and in the occupied territories.”

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Previously, it had been reported that the talks had been compromised by the new demanded inserted into the proposal on the table by Israel and the boycott of the talks by Hamas. However, the White House on Thursday said the Hamas' participation in the talks was as per expectations and the talks had made a promising start .

Any deal reached by Israel and Hamas is expected to be within the broad framework announced by US President Joe Biden in May , which sought to end the war in Gaza in three stages, which would start with a six-week truce and a return of a smaller group of hostages, followed by a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages in lieu of release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and the return of displaced Gazans to their homes.