Special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Europe and possibly Middle East for meetings on issues including the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Hamas announced on Friday that it had “submitted a positive response” to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, opening the path toward a deal to halt the conflict after months of failed efforts.

Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps on Wednesday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.

CAIRO (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering “alternative options” to ceasefire talks with Hamas after Israel and the U.S. recalled their negotiating teams, throwing the future of the negotiations into further uncertainty.

The mediators' message to senior Hamas officials during the meeting was: “This is not a serious response. Go back and draft a new one.”

Witkoff heading to Doha as talks on hostage release-ceasefire deal continue appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his Gaza ceasefire negotiators will return to Israel from Qatar for further consultations.