Washington's top diplomat said he was ‘hopeful’ Hamas would accept the offer, which his British counterpart said could see the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
JERUSALEM - Hopes rose on Monday for a long-sought-after truce and hostage release deal after almost seven months of war in Gaza between Palestinian Hamas militants and Israel.
For months, meditators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to broker a new agreement between the combatants. A one-week truce in November saw 80 Israeli hostages exchanged for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.The war has brought Gaza to the brink of famine, United Nations and humanitarian aid groups say, while reducing much of the territory to rubble and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
On the sidelines of the Riyadh meeting, European and Arab foreign ministers met to discuss how to join forces on advancing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Medics and the Civil Defence agency said at least 22 people were killed in the city. Witnesses told AFP at least three houses had been hit in strikes overnight from Sunday to Monday.
On Monday, the families of two Israeli captives seen alive in a video released by Hamas last weekend called for their release."I fear for Keith's life, and I demand the leaders of the free world to help us bring our people home," said Aviva Siegel, who was freed in the November truce and is the wife of captive Keith Siegel, 64.
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