RIYADH: Senior Western and Arab officials are expected to meet next week in Riyadh to discuss the months-long war in the Gaza Strip on the sidelines of an economic forum in Saudi Arabia, according to diplomatic sources.
Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan will meet on Monday in Riyadh with their US, German,British, French and Italian counterparts, the sources said.
The Arab officials, joined by a Palestinian Authority representative, will meet to formulate a "unified Arab stance" ahead of the Monday meeting, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
The Palestinian official will not attend the talks with the top Western diplomats, the sources added.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry travelled on Saturday to Riyadh, officials at Cairo airport said.
Saudi Arabia is hosting an international economic forum in Riyadh on Sunday and Monday.
The international talks come amid fears of a planned Israeli offensive in Gaza's Rafah city and renewed efforts to broker a captive and ceasefire deal.
A top Palestinian Hamas official said on Saturday that the group is studying an Israeli counterproposal regarding such a deal.
"Hamas will examine this proposal and submit a response," Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of the group's political arm in Gaza, said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Negotiations aimed at releasing captives held by Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip and securing a ceasefire in the devastated Palestinian territory have been deadlocked for months.
But Israel's preparations for a large-scale ground offensive on Rafah- the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip is reportedly putting pressure on war.
US media outlet Axios reported, citing two senior Israeli officials, that Israel had warned Egypt that this would be the "last chance" to strike a deal before its Rafah operations begin.
Axios and Israeli media reported that Hamas and Israel are at loggerheads over the scope of the deal, including how many captives could be released and how long the ceasefire would last. The Palestinian group is demanding a permanent ceasefire, which Israel rejects.
Israel's allies and critics have for months implored Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call off the invasion of Rafah, fearing mass civilian casualties. More than a million displaced Palestinians from other parts of the Gaza Strip have taken shelter there.
The health authority put the number of people killed in Gaza at 34,388 on Saturday, 32 more than the previous day. More than 77,400 people have been injured.
The Israeli army said on Saturday that it had carried out more airstrikes overnight against targets. — dpa
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
