Indirect talks about a ceasefire between Israel and terrorist-stamped Hamas have been held in Qatar's capital Doha since Sunday. On the table is a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some of the hostages.
But a high-ranking political official from Israel accuses Hamas of sabotaging the negotiations. In a statement, which among others the news agency AFP has taken part of, the official says that Hamas "creates obstacles" and "refuses to compromise".
According to information from Palestinian officials who have spoken to the BBC, the two sides in the indirect talks are deeply divided on several issues.
This includes, among other things, how humanitarian aid to Gaza should be distributed. Hamas wants it to be distributed through UN agencies and international aid organizations, while Israel wants the aid to be distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is led by the USA with the support of Israel.
The GHF has been internationally criticized as the distributions have been marked by reports of chaos, violence, and deadly shootings.
The second point of contention concerns the extent of the Israeli military withdrawal. According to Israel, a military buffer zone in Gaza of about one by one kilometer would be maintained.
But according to Hamas, the buffer zone is much larger than that, which is said to have emerged after they requested and received a map of the area.
The Palestinian side now wants the USA to put pressure on Israel to make concessions. Otherwise, the talks in Doha may collapse.
"This process is hanging by a thread. If nothing changes quickly, we may be heading for a breakdown," says a mediator to the BBC.
