
Internationally mediated cease-fire talks in Qatar are expected to enter their second day Friday in an effort to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading into a wider regional conflict. Representatives from Qatar and Egypt are engaged on behalf of Hamas, as the group is not directly participating. Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign minister is set to meet with counterparts from the United Kingdom and France to discuss preventing regional escalation.
The push for an end to the Israel-Hamas war comes as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbed past 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities. The United Nations chief believes the number is accurate or possibly an undercount. Mediators have been working on a three-phase plan involving the release of hostages captured in an attack triggering the war, a lasting cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.