The US says there has been a “promising start” to the new round of talks in Doha on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip, as the number of Palestinians reported killed in the war between Israel and Hamas surpassed 40,000.
An agreement is seen as key to stopping the 10-month conflict spiralling into an all-out regional war involving Iran, but expectations of a breakthrough are low.
White House spokesman John Kirby said “there remains a lot of work to do” to resolve gaps in the implementation of the framework agreement.
Hamas has said it will not participate in the indirect negotiations in Doha for now, although mediators are said to be relaying messages to the armed group’s officials based there.