ISTANBUL

The US is "cautiously optimistic" about cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, the White House said.

“We are cautiously optimistic that things are moving in a good direction … There are still gaps remaining between the two sides. We believe those gaps can be narrowed, and that’s what (special Mideast envoy) Brett McGurk and CIA Director Bill Burns are trying to do right now,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN on Wednesday.

Through mediation efforts led by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, efforts are ongoing to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that will guarantee prisoner exchanges and a cease-fire on both sides.

On Wednesday, a four-party meeting was held in Doha between Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, and David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad.

For months, efforts by the US, Qatar, and Egypt to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a hostage exchange and cease-fire have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Over 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 88,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

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

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar