Mediators wrap up cease-fire talks, aim to finalise a deal by next week

Mediators to the Gaza War cease-fire talks said Friday the two-day talks wrapped up and they aim to reconvene in Cairo next week to seal a deal to stop the fighting.

In a statement on Friday, the United States, Egypt and Qatar said talks were constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere. They presented both parties with a proposal and hope to continue working on the details of the implementation in the coming days.

The new round of talks began Thursday and were aimed at halting the 10-month war and securing the release of scores of hostages, with a potential deal seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict.

Hamas, which didn’t participate directly in the talks, accuses Israel of adding new demands to a previous proposal that had US and international support and to which Hamas had agreed in principle.