The spokesman for Qatari diplomacy, Majid al-Ansari, said in the early hours of the morning that the talks in Doha, with the aim of concluding a ceasefire agreement in Gaza Stripwhich will be accompanied by the release of Israeli hostages still held in the enclave in exchange for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli detention centers, will continue on Friday for a second day.

The representative of the emirate’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that the efforts of the mediators (Qatar, Egypt, USA) are continuing, to silence the weapons, to return the hostages and to enter the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation is characterized disastrous by the UN.

For its part, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamaswhich governs the Gaza Strip, on Thursday reaffirmed its position that any ceasefire in the enclave must be accompanied by the “complete” withdrawal of the Israeli armed forces.

“Any agreement must result in a total ceasefire, a complete withdrawal (of the Israeli army) from Gaza (and) the return of the displaced” to their homes, said Hussam Badran, a senior Hamas official, in Doha, where indirect talks are being held. negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US since yesterday.

The press representative of the White House spoke of a “positive start” in the talks, yesterday. “We are at a point where the framework of the agreement has been broadly accepted and the gaps that need to be filled are in terms of its implementation,” John Kirby said yesterday.

At the same time, US and Middle Eastern diplomats have mobilized to prevent Iran from launching an attack on Israel that could lead to an all-out war. Both Iran and the US have said the lines of communication between them are open.

In light of the fact that a potential attack by Iran against Israel could be averted if an agreement is reached in Doha, it makes clear how crucial today’s – many say last-ditch – diplomatic effort is.

However, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Saturday that the retaliation was “completely unrelated to the ceasefire in Gaza”.