The Qatari capital, Doha, is preparing to host a new round of negotiations regarding a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and a deal to exchange prisoners and detainees between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel.

After months of stagnation, the negotiations received a new boost with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to the region for the 11th time since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

"We talked about options to take advantage of this moment and next steps to move the process forward, and I expect our negotiators to meet in the coming days," Blinken said during a joint press conference in Doha on Thursday with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

"This is a moment to work to end this war, ensure that all hostages return home, and build a better future for the people of Gaza," he added.

For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman said that two American and Israeli negotiating delegations will visit Doha to participate in the truce negotiations in Gaza. He explained that Qatari officials met with officials from the Hamas political bureau in Doha during the past two days, but he indicated that so far "there is no clarity about the way forward."

Blinken said a ceasefire plan put forward by US President Joe Biden on May 31 remained on the table, but he also hinted at a willingness to explore "new frameworks" to seek the release of detainees.

Blinken said it had not yet been determined whether Hamas was ready to engage in new negotiations, but he urged it to do so.

But many critics of US policy in the United States and abroad see the problem as not limited to Hamas, but rather the Biden administration’s failure to pressure Israel, which has received billions of dollars in American weapons since the start of the war.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that the head of the Israeli foreign intelligence agency (Mossad), David Barnea, will travel to Doha next Sunday, and will meet with the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, and the prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar.

"The parties will discuss various options for starting negotiations to release the hostages held by Hamas in light of the latest developments," the office added.

Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas in talks for months, and negotiations broke down last August without reaching an agreement.

With American support, the ongoing Israeli genocidal war in Gaza, since October 7, 2023, has left more than 143,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.