WASHINGTON: Negotiations on a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza are continuing in Qatar, a US official said Tuesday, after an earlier round of talks wrapped up in Cairo amid growing regional tensions.
US President Joe Biden’s Middle East point man Brett McGurk is in Doha for the talks aimed at halting the 10-month conflict between Israel and Hamas, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Palestinians displaced by fighting in the Gaza Strip crowded onto the seashore as Israeli forces continued to battle Hamas fighters in central and southern areas, with health officials reporting at least 17 people killed in strikes on Tuesday.
In recent days, Israel has issued several evacuation orders across Gaza, the most since the beginning of the 10-month war, prompting an outcry from Palestinians, the United Nations, and relief officials over the reduction of humanitarian zones and the absence of safe areas.
Residents and displaced families in the southern city of Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza, where most of the population is now concentrated, said they have been pushed to live in tents now packed on the beach.