HAMAS AND ISRAEL have signalled that they would be willing to engage in peace talks, hosted in Qatar, as long-stalled efforts to end the brutal war in Gaza are appearing to gain momentum.

A push yesterday by American foreign minister Antony Blinken for Israel to consider the move since the death of Hamas’ leader in Gaza last week was answered today when the government said it will send its spy chief to negotiations.

Hamas has promised to stop the fighting once a truce agreement is reached, however Israel has vowed previously to only adhere to a ceasefire once it has defeated the militant group.

A senior Hamas official told the AFP news agency that a delegation from the group’s Doha-based leadership discussed “ideas and proposals” related to a Gaza truce with Egyptian officials in Cairo this evening.

The talks in Cairo were part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to resume ceasefire negotiations, he added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he welcomed Egypt’s readiness to reach a deal “for the release of the hostages” still held by militants in Gaza.

After the Cairo meeting, Netanyahu directed the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency to leave for key mediator Qatar on Sunday to “advance a series of initiatives that are on the agenda,” the prime minister’s office said.

Earlier today, the United States and Qatar said Gaza ceasefire talks would resume in the Qatari capital.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has continued its operations in northern Gaza where thousands of displaced Palestinians face famine over restricted access to aid into the region.

More than 770 people have been killed in the north in the last 19 days, a Gaza civil defence agency spokesperson said today, as thousands more are in fear of their lives as the cold weather approaches.

A strike on a school today by Israel, which was being used as a refugee centre, killed 17 people the spokesperson said. The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas militants.

Palestinian woman Umm Muhammad was sitting in a classroom when the strike hit: “I hugged my little girl and I couldn’t see anything through the thick plume of smoke

“I ran and screamed for my sister and found her alive downstairs, but there were (some) children torn to pieces.”

The civil defence agency said it can no longer provide first responder services in northern Gaza, accusing Israeli forces of threatening to “bomb and kill” its crews. The World Health Organisation has also stopped all operations due to intense Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

The Israeli military says the goal of its assault is to destroy the operational capabilities it says Hamas is trying to rebuild in the north. But the continued strikes are merely adding to the 42,847-mostly-civilian death toll in Gaza. 

Additional reporting Muiris O’Cearbhaill