Mediators seeking a Gaza ceasefire are set to propose a truce of under a month to Palestinian militants Hamas, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Wednesday.
The discussions in Doha, which concluded Monday, included Mossad chief David Barnea, CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
They focussed on a "short-term" truce of "less than a month", the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the talks' sensitivity.
The proposal involves exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinians in Israeli prisons and increasing aid to Gaza, the source added.
"US officials believe that if a short-term deal can be reached, it could lead to a more permanent agreement," the source said.
A Hamas official said that the group had not received any proposals for a Gaza ceasefire but would discuss any ideas that include an Israeli withdrawal.
"We have not officially received any comprehensive proposal. We are prepared to engage with any ideas or proposals presented to us, provided they ultimately lead to an end to the war and a withdrawal by the army from the (Gaza) Strip," the official told AFP.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is obstructing truce efforts to push an agenda of "genocide, ethnic cleansing and displacement" made possible by the absence of US pressure.
"We have told the mediators that Hamas is ready if (Israel) agrees to a proposal for a ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, return of displaced people to their homes in Gaza including the north, entry of sufficient aid for our people and a serious prisoner exchange deal," he said, referring to ceasefire conditions Hamas has repeatedly brought to negotiations.
He said that Egypt and Qatar continue to work as mediators in consultations between Hamas and Israel.
On Tuesday evening, Hamas confirmed in a statement that some meetings had been held regarding the mediators' request to discuss "new proposals for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange".
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been engaged in months of fruitless negotiations for a truce with hostage and prisoner releases.
To break the deadlock near the end of US President Joe Biden's administration, Washington and Doha last week announced fresh in-person talks to explore new options.
The Doha talks aimed to secure a swift outcome that could boost Biden's legacy despite his administration's waning influence with the November 5 US election looming.
The comments follow an Egyptian proposal for a two-day truce and limited hostage-prisoner exchange that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said could lead to a permanent ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said he had not received the Egyptian proposal but he would "have accepted it immediately" if it was raised.
This month's killing of Hamas's leader Yahya Sinwar spurred hope that fresh life could be breathed into the truce talks.
In-person talks in August in Egypt and Qatar, based on an adjustment to an initial truce plan presented by Biden in May, broke up without a final agreement.
That plan had sought to freeze fighting for an initial six weeks while Israeli hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, and while humanitarian aid enters Gaza.
With AFP
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