Israel, Hamas in wait-and-see mode ahead of US election
With Hamas and Israel holding firm and the US election less than two weeks away, a cease-fire deal still appears far from reach.
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WASHINGTON — For the first time in over two months, there's the faintest glimmer of hope for a cease-fire in Gaza.
During a Thursday news conference in Doha, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that US and Israeli negotiators will travel to the Qatari capital "in the coming days" to restart indirect Hamas-Israel talks that stalled when both sides put forward new conditions this summer.
The top US diplomat is back in the region, making stops in Israel and several Arab capitals this week to push for progress on a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and a day-after plan for the war-battered territory. Blinken's latest Middle East mission — his 11th since Oct. 7 — comes as Israel widens its offensive in Lebanon and prepares a retaliatory attack against Iran.
