US, Qatar announce new Gaza talks

The United States and Qatar on Thursday announced a resumption of negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said mediators were exploring new options after months of failing to seal a US-led plan.

With less than two weeks before US elections, Blinken is paying his 11th trip to the region since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which last week killed the militant group's leader Yahya Sinwar.

Blinken said negotiators would resume talks "in the coming days" on ways to end the year-long Gaza war and free hostages seized in the October 7 attack.

"We talked about options to capitalise on this moment and next steps to move the process forward," Blinken said, after talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. He said that the two partners were seeking a plan "so that Israel can withdraw, so that Hamas cannot reconstitute, and so that the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives and rebuild their futures".