DOHA, Qatar

The top diplomats of Qatar and the US held talks over the phone on Wednesday to discuss mediation efforts to end Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani received a phone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during which they explored strategic ties between the two countries and ways to develop them, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

An Israeli negotiating team is set to travel to Qatar on Thursday to pursue indirect talks with Hamas to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal.

For months, mediation efforts led by the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that ensures the exchange of prisoners from both sides and a cease-fire, leading to the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian sector.

However, mediation efforts have been hindered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to respond to Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

More than 39,100 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 90,200 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio