Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari stated on Tuesday that the delegations are not yet negotiating final terms, but are still working on “a negotiation framework” that could eventually lead to a formal agreement. “I don’t think I can give a timeline right now, but I can say it will take time,” Al-Ansari said during a press briefing.

The talks, brokered by Qatar, the U.S., and Egypt, resumed in Doha on Sunday, aiming to reach a truce to halt fighting that has raged since October 2023. Al-Ansari stressed that there was “positive engagement” from both parties and that the ongoing presence of both delegations in the Qatari capital is “always a good sign.”

Hamas Demands Guarantees Before Progress

According to sources familiar with the talks, the proposed agreement includes a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release ten living hostages and the remains of others, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. However, Hamas is also demanding that Israel commit to specific conditions: withdrawal from parts of Gaza, a guarantee that fighting will not resume during talks, and the restoration of UN-led aid distribution channels.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Hamas’s response to the U.S.-backed proposal includes “unacceptable demands,” complicating efforts to finalise a deal.

So far, only two major ceasefires have been implemented: a one-week pause in November 2023 and a two-month truce in January 2025. All other indirect efforts, mostly held in Doha and Cairo, have failed to bring a lasting end to hostilities.