Doha:

The United States hailed a “promising start” to Gaza ceasefire talks Thursday, as pressure mounted for a deal to halt the spread of a war that the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry said has killed 40,005.

The conflict sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel has devastated Gaza, displaced nearly all of its population at least once and triggered a towering humanitarian crisis.

Talks involving CIA director William Burns opened in the Qatari capital Doha, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

“Today is a promising start,” Kirby told reporters in Washington, adding: “There remains a lot of work to do.”

The talks were expected to continue on Friday, he said.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the movement did not take part in Thursday’s meeting but stood ready to join the indirect negotiations if they produced new commitments from Israel.

The Palestinian group has demanded the implementation of a truce plan laid out in late May by US President Joe Biden.

“If the mediators succeed in forcing the (Israeli) occupation to agree, we would, but so far there’s nothing new,” Hamdan told AFP.

He said Hamas would not take part in protracted negotiations that “give (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu more time to kill the Palestinian people”.

So far, there has been only one truce in November, when Gaza militants released 105 hostages seized in the October 7 attack, the Israelis among them in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The latest diplomatic push comes as the health ministry in Gaza said the death toll in the besieged Palestinian territory had surpassed 40,000 — which UN chief Antonio Guterres said was “yet another reason” why a ceasefire was needed now.

“Given the… disturbing number of people who remain unaccounted for, who may be trapped or dead under the rubble, this number may, if anything, be an undercount,” his spokesman Farhan Haq said.

“This is yet another reason why we need to have a ceasefire now, as well as the release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.”

The Gaza health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant casualties, said the tally included 40 deaths in the previous 24 hours.

The Israeli military said it had killed “more than 17,000” Palestinian militants in Gaza since the war began.

– ‘Time is now’ –
British foreign minister David Lammy and his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne are to discuss the truce talks with Israel’s top diplomat Israel Katz on Friday.

In Beirut on Wednesday, visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein said a deal in Gaza “would also help enable a diplomatic resolution here in Lebanon and that would prevent an outbreak of a wider war”.

“We have to take advantage of this window for diplomatic action and diplomatic solutions. That time is now,” he added.

Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Mediation efforts have repeatedly stalled since the week-long truce in November.

Hamas officials, some analysts and critics in Israel have said Netanyahu has sought to prolong the war for political gain.

Israeli media this week quoted Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as privately telling a parliamentary committee that a hostage release deal “is stalling… in part because of Israel”.

Netanyahu’s office accused Gallant of adopting an “anti-Israel narrative” and said Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is “the only obstacle to a hostage deal”.

– Bloodied children –
The latest mediation push follows the July 31 killing of Sinwar’s predecessor, Hamas political leader and truce negotiator Ismail Haniyeh. His killing during a visit to Tehran sent fears of a wider conflagration soaring.

Iran and its regional allies blamed Israel and vowed retaliation. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

Western leaders have urged Tehran to avoid hitting Israel over Haniyeh’s killing, which came hours after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Hezbollah’s military commander.

Fallout from the conflict has drawn in Iran-aligned groups from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

More than 370 Hezbollah members have been killed in 10 months of near daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces, according to an AFP tally, more than the Iran-backed movement lost in the 2006 war with Israel.

On the Israeli side, 22 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed, including in the annexed Golan Heights, according to military figures.

In Gaza, where the war has destroyed much of the territory’s housing and other infrastructure, relatively few deaths were reported on Thursday.

In the deadliest bombardment, emergency services said air strikes killed five people in Gaza City.

Israel’s military said troops had killed about 20 militants in Rafah, southern Gaza.

On Wednesday, dead and wounded including bloodied children arrived at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis after an Israeli strike.

“I was not pro-Hamas but now I support them and I want to fight,” one grieving man shouted.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Spain:

Qatar said Friday it was continuing mediation efforts to “bridge the gap” between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held there.

The emirate, with the United States and Egypt, has been engaged in months of negotiations over details for a ceasefire in Gaza.

But except for a seven-day pause beginning in November, which led to the release of more than 100 hostages, there has been no break in the fighting.

“We have continued our efforts without interruption over the last few days,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a joint news conference in Madrid with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

“There have been several meetings with the Hamas leadership to try to bridge the gap between the two parties and reach an agreement that will lead to a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages” being held in Gaza, he added.

The talks are based on a plan US President Joe Biden laid out on May 31 calls for an Israeli withdrawal from “major population centres” in Gaza and a ceasefire for six weeks, which could then be extended if negotiators need more time to seek a permanent deal.

“Efforts are continuing, but so far we have not reached a formula that we feel is the most appropriate and closest to what has been presented,” the Qatari prime minister said.

“As soon as this is done, we will communicate with the Israeli side to try to bridge the gap and reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” he added.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 41 the army says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,431 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The families of eight former Indian Navy personnel who have been sentenced to death in Qatar have categorically denied that the men had anything to do with espionage and pointed out that there has been no “proof of allegations” from the country. 

The veterans, who were arrested last year, are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. They worked for a private firm, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, which provided training and other services for Qatar’s armed forces.

While the details of the October 26 verdict against the eight men by the Court of First Instance in Qatar are still not clear, reports have suggested that they had been convicted of spying for Israel on a submarine project. In a statement to NDTV, the families of the seven former officers and one sailor have denied all the allegations. 

“The eight ex-Indian Naval officers were not engaged in espionage for Israel. They went to build the Qatari navy and build that nation’s security. They could never spy. There are no allegations or proof of allegations from Qatar,” the statement said, adding that none of them were associated with any submarine program when working at Dahra Global. 

Some of the men were decorated officers and had commanded warships during their time at the Indian Navy. Pointing to their impeccable record, the statement added, “All the men have had distinguished service with full integrity and represented the nation with high honour while serving in the Indian Navy.” 

The eight men were arrested in August 2022 and have been in custody for the most part as their bail applications had been rejected several times. The government, which had said it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict, has been working with the Qatar government to free the former Navy personnel. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met the families of the men on Monday and said that he shares their pain and concern. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the foreign minister had said, “Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families. Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard.”

On the same day, Navy Chief Admiral Hari Kumar had also said that the Centre was making every effort to secure the release of the Navy veterans. 

New Delhi:

Navy Chief Admiral Hari Kumar today said that the Centre is making “every effort” to secure the release of eight Navy veterans who have been handed death penalty in Qatar.

“Every effort is being made by the government to ensure we take up through the legal course and we get relief for our personnel,” he said.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today met with the families of eight former Indian Navy personnel. Mr Jaishankar said India will “continue to make all efforts to secure their release.

“Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families. Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard,” he said on X – formerly known as Twitter.

Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar.

Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families.

Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release.…

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 30, 2023

The men, including decorated officers who once commanded major Indian warships, were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm that provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces.

Sources said some of them were working on a highly sensitive project — Italian technology-based midget submarines with stealth characteristics.

Reports claim the eight Navy veterans have been accused of spying.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said it was shocked by the verdict and would take up the issue with Qatari authorities. “We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” the ministry had said.

Those sentenced are Capt Navtej Singh Gill, Capt Birendra Kumar Verma, Capt Saurabh Vasisht, Cdr Amit Nagpal, Cdr Purnendu Tiwari, Cdr Sugunakar Pakala, Cdr Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh.

New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday expressed shock over eight former Indian Navy personnel being handed down the death sentence by a court in Qatar and said the entire case is shrouded in “mystery and opacity”. The navy personnel were on Thursday handed down the death sentence by a court in Qatar, a verdict that was described as “deeply shocking” by India as it vowed to explore all legal options.

In a post on X, Mr Tharoor said, “Shocked to learn that Qatar has passed a death sentence on eight former Indian Navy officers. The details of the entire case are shrouded in mystery & opacity.” “Trust @MEAIndia & @PMOIndia will act immediately with the highest levels of the Qatar government to support an appeal and bring them home,” the former minister of state for external affairs said.

Shocked to learn that #Qatar has passed a death sentence on eight former @IndianNavy officers. The details of the entire case are shrouded in mystery & opacity. Trust @MEAIndia & @PMOIndia will act immediately with the highest levels of the Qatar government to support an appeal…

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 27, 2023

The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public.

In its reaction to the death sentence, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said it is attaching “high importance” to this case and is exploring all legal options.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A Qatar court has handed the death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel, a verdict that was described as “deeply shocking” by India as it vowed to explore all legal options in the case. The eight Indians were arrested in August last year in an alleged case of espionage and have since been in solitary confinement.

India, reacting to the development, said that it is attaching “high importance” to this case and is exploring all legal options.

Who are these 8 Indians?

The Indian Navy veterans, who were arrested in August 2022, are Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar.

All of the former Navy officers had a distinguished service record of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy and had held important positions including that of instructors in the force.

In 2019, Commander Purnendu Tiwari was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. In a post at the time, the Indian Embassy in Doha had said the award was given to Commander Tiwari for enhancing India’s image abroad.

What were they doing in Qatar?

All eight Indians worked for a private firm, Dahra Global Technologies, and Consultancy Services, which provided training and other services for Qatar’s armed forces.

The company is owned by a retired squadron leader of the Royal Oman Air Force, Khamis al-Ajmi. Ajmi too was arrested along with the Indians last year but was released in November 2022.

Sources said some of the Indians on death row were working on a highly sensitive project — Italian technology-based midget submarines with stealth characteristics.

In May, Al Dahra Global closed its operations in Doha and all those working there (primarily Indians) have since returned home.

Why were they arrested?

The eight men were arrested by Qatar’s intelligence agency on August 30, 2022. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public yet.

According to reports, the eight men were allegedly arrested for espionage. The charges were filed against the eight Indian Navy veterans on March 25 and they are tried under Qatari law.

Their bail petitions had been rejected several times and the verdict against them was pronounced on Thursday by the Court of First Instance in Qatar.

What India is doing?

Reacting to the verdict, the Ministry of External Affairs said that they are awaiting the detailed judgement in the case and are exploring all legal options.

“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” the MEA said in a statement.

The government said it would continue to extend all consular and legal assistance to the Indians.

“We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” the MEA statement said.

It is learnt that the families of the former Indian Navy personnel had filed a mercy plea to the Emir of Qatar. However, there is no confirmation of it.

New Delhi:

Eight former Indian Navy officers, who have been sentenced to death in Qatar, have been accused of spying for Israel. The eight men were working for a private firm that helped the Qatari armed forces and included decorated officers who once commanded Indian warships.

In August 2022, the retired officers were arrested on charges of spying and were accused of espionage and state-sponsored terrorism. According to reports, the eight men were spying for Qatar on a secret naval project.

The convicted men are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. They worked for a private firm, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, which provided training and other services for Qatar’s armed forces.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said it was shocked by the verdict and would take up the issue with Qatari authorities. 

Award-Winning Commander

The men, who were arrested in Doha last year, have been accused of spying on Qatar’s advanced submarines for Israel. These submarines were coated with special materials that enhanced their stealth capabilities, something that would be valuable for any navy in the world. 

According to reports, the submarines were being built in collaboration with an Italian shipbuilding firm.

In 2019, Commander Purnendu Tiwari was awarded the Pravasi Bharaitya Samman, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. In a post at the time, the Indian Embassy in Doha had said the award was given to Commander Tiwari for enhancing India’s image abroad. 

“The award is in recognition of his contribution towards capacity building for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, thereby promoting India-Qatar bilateral cooperation. He is the first Indian Armed Forces personnel to be awarded this highest honour meant for NRIs / PIOs,” the embassy had said. 

Commander Tiwari was the Managing Director of Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services and had commanded several warships when he was part of the Indian Navy.

‘Exploring All Options’

Bail petitions of the eight men had been rejected several times and the verdict against them was pronounced on Thursday by the Court of First Instance in Qatar.

Reacting to the verdict, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options.”

“We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” it added.

Orit Meir, the mother of Almog Meir Jan, speaks to Reuters about her efforts for the safe return of Almog Meir Jan, who was taken hostage by Hamas militants from Gaza while attending the Nova festival in southern Israel, in their family home in Or Yehuda, Israel October 24, 2023.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

The gas-rich nation of Qatar has become a key intermediary over the fate of some 200 hostages held by Hamas militants after their unprecedented attack on Israel, once again putting the small Arabian Peninsula country in the spotlight.

The negotiations have also thrust Qatar into a delicate international balancing act as it maintains a relationship with those viewed as militant groups by the West while trying to preserve its close security ties with the U.S.
Under arrangements stemming from past Hamas ceasefire understandings with Israel, the gas-rich emirate of Qatar has paid the salaries of civil servants in the Gaza Strip, provided direct cash transfers to poor families and offered other kinds of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

Read Editorial | Endless woes: On the Israel-Hamas conflict and Palestine

Qatar has also hosted Hamas’s political office in its capital of Doha for over a decade. Among officials based there is Khaled Mashaal, an exiled Hamas member who survived a 1997 Israeli assassination attempt in Jordan that threatened to derail that country’s peace deal with Israel. Also there is Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ supreme leader.

The U.S. sanctioned Mashaal in 2003 for being “responsible for supervising assassination operations, bombings and the killing of Israeli settlers.” Washington sanctioned Haniyeh in 2018, saying he had “close links with Hamas’ military wing and has been a proponent of armed struggle, including against civilians.”

Mashaal, in an interview with Sky News this week, said hostages taken during Hamas’s attack on October 7 could be released if Israel stops its airstrikes — something incredibly unlikely as Israel prepares for a ground offensive inside the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s military says 222 people, including foreigners, were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza. Four of those have been released, a mother and daughter on Friday and two more on Monday.

“Let them stop this aggression and you will find the mediators like Qatar and Egypt and some Arab countries and others will find a way to have them released and we’ll send them to their homes,” Mashaal said of the hostages.

Under scrutiny

Hosting the Hamas leaders has brought scrutiny to Qatar, both in the past and since the attack over two weeks ago that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel.

However, the Biden administration has repeatedly praised Qatar for its efforts in working to free the hostages and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Doha during his recent shuttle diplomacy trip in the region.

“Qatar is a longtime partner of ours who is responding to our request, because I think they believe that innocent civilians ought to be freed,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, channeled the wider anger in the Arab world over Israel’s unrelenting airstrikes and siege of the Gaza Strip after the attack. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry says the strikes have killed over 5,000 Palestinians so far.

“It is untenable for Israel to be given an unconditional green light and free license to kill, nor it is tenable to continue ignoring the reality of occupation, siege and settlement,” Sheikh Tamim said on Tuesday in a speech to the country’s Shura Council, an advisory and legislative body.

He slammed Israel’s siege, saying that it “should not be allowed in our time” to use as weapons the cutting off of water and preventing medicine and food supplies to an entire population.

Qatar has always looked warily at its larger neighbours Saudi Arabia and Iran. It faced a years-long boycott by four Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, over a political dispute, which Kuwait’s ruler at the time warned could have sparked a war..

Bearing criticism

It also bore withering criticism from the U.S. and others over its pan-Arab satellite news network Al Jazeera. It aired statements from the late al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden and has been providing nonstop coverage of the toll of Israel’s punishing airstrikes in this war with Hamas, including images of the dead and dying that have fueled demonstrations across the West Asia and wider world.

But those concerns about larger powers have seen Qatar balance the risks through its diplomacy and hosting of the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command at its sprawling Al-Udeid Air Base. The U.S. considers Qatar as a major non-NATO ally and Doha has widening defense trade and security cooperation with America, including priority delivery for certain military sales.

The Al-Udeid base served as a key node in America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, while Qatar also hosted the Taliban officials with whom Washington earlier negotiated to end the longest U.S. war.
But Qatar’s negotiations have led to headaches in the past.

Most recently, Qatar agreed to have just under $6 billion in Iranian assets once frozen in South Korea transferred to Doha as part of a September prisoner swap between Tehran and the U.S. After the Hamas attack, Qatar and the U.S. agreed not to act on any request from Tehran to access those funds for humanitarian goods as initially planned — at least for now.

That enraged sanctions-choked Iran and left Qatar “walking the tightrope of international relations,” said David B. Roberts, who has long studied Qatar as an associate professor at King’s College London.

“If you do want this unique spot,” he added, “then you’re not signing yourself up for an easy life.”

A 7-year-old Ukrainian boy, who is the first child released under a new mechanism Qatar has set up with the goal of repatriating children from Russia to Ukraine, is seated next to his grandmother (L) and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova after being released to Qatari diplomats in this handout image taken at Qatar’s embassy in Moscow, Russia October 13, 2023.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Four Ukrainian minors who were separated from their families after Russia’s invasion are to be reunited with relatives following intervention by Qatar, officials said on October 16.

The four, aged two to 17, have been staying at the Qatari embassy in Moscow while Qatar mediated between Russian and Ukrainian authorities, a diplomat briefed on the process said.

They include one child whose mother has been detained in Russia and another who lost contact with his mother as he was in a Russian hospital when the war broke out.

Also Read | Qatar to provide Ukraine with $100 million in humanitarian aid: Kyiv

“Both Ukrainian and Russian officials have been cooperative in ensuring the safety and security of the children and their departure to Ukraine,” said the diplomat on condition of anonymity.

“The minors, during their period of separation from their families in Russia, were provided with the relevant care and treatment by the Russian government.”

All four are travelling to Ukraine via third countries including Qatar, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.

“The return of Ukrainian children to their families today marks a positive step and a gesture of goodwill between Ukrainian and Russian governments,” Lolwah Al Khater, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said in a statement.

“We understand that today’s breakthrough is only a first step, but we are encouraged by the commitment and openness shown by both sides throughout the process, which we sincerely hope will lead to more initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions and building trust between the two parties,” she added.

Qatar, a gas-rich Gulf monarchy, has acted as a broker in several international disputes, including last month’s Iran-U.S. prisoner exchange.

Doha/Gaza:

Qatari mediators have held urgent calls with Hamas officials to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women and children seized by the terrorist group and held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israel’s prisons, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters.

The ongoing negotiations, which Qatar has been conducting in coordination with the United States since Saturday night, are “moving positively” said the source, who has been briefed on them.

But there are no signs of breakthroughs as both sides dig in.

Qatar has been in touch with Hamas officials in Doha and Gaza, the source said, after the terrorist group assaulted Israel from Gaza on Saturday, storming into towns, killing more than 700 Israelis, and escaping with dozens of hostages.

The exact number of Israeli women and children hostages Hamas is offering in the potential exchange of 36 Palestinian women and children prisoners Hamas identified is not clear, the source said.

Details about negotiations focusing on the release of 36 Palestinians from Israeli jails have not previously been reported.

The number of Israeli hostages held in Gaza also remains unclear, but it is widely believed that Hamas seized women, children, elderly people and soldiers on Saturday.

A Palestinian official, familiar with mediation efforts with Hamas and Israel in the past, told Reuters that Qatar and Egypt have been in contact with the group but the intensity of the fighting cast shadows over any potential breakthrough.

In Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel has carried out its most intensive retaliatory strikes ever, killing some 500 people since Saturday. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel’s blockade would be tightened to prevent food and fuel from being brought into the strip, home to 2.3 million people.

Egypt has been in close contact with Israel and Hamas to try to prevent further escalation in fighting between them and to ensure the protection of the Israeli hostages, two Egyptian security sources said.

Egypt had urged Israel to exercise restraint and Hamas to hold its captives in good condition to keep open the possibility of de-escalation soon, although Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip made mediation difficult, the Egyptian sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The source who had been briefed on the Qatar-led talks, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: “There has been no agreement on logistics or a mechanism for the release.”

There was no immediate response to requests for comment sent to Qatar’s foreign ministry, Hamas or the US State Department. Israel’s prime minister’s office said it did not wish to comment.

Israelis are reeling from the assault and by images of captured fellow citizens being bundled into Gaza. Israel has said it will act to free the hostages, adhering to a longstanding principle of leaving no prisoner behind.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s options for hitting Hamas over its incursion into Israel could be reined in by concern for the many Israelis seized in the raid, as a nation scarred by past hostage crises faces perhaps its worst one yet.

Qatar, a tiny but wealthy energy and investment powerhouse that holds ambitious foreign policy goals, has a direct line of communication with Hamas. Qatari envoys have previously helped mediate truces between the Islamist group and Israel.

Doha has recently been under the global diplomacy spotlight, after hosting more than a year of talks between the United States and Iran, which led to prisoner exchanges and fund releases.

While Hamas’ power base is in Gaza, some leaders are based in Qatar as well as other Middle Eastern countries.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)