DOHA
Turkey and Qatar have presented a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as efforts brokered by Egypt and the US to reach a truce remain inconclusive, diplomatic sources have said.
The initiative came as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held talks with his US, French and Qatari counterparts in Qatar on Friday.
He also held talks with Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah and Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal during his visit.
Davutoglu had been scheduled to visit France, but postponed the trip to contribute to efforts to find a truce between Israel and Gazans.
US Secretary of State John Kerry made a proposal to the Palestinians and Israelis for a new truce in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
- Besieged territory
The diplomatic sources, who declined to be named, said that all sides would work on the ideas put forward by the US, and Turkey and Qatar.
A least 828 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's onslaught on the besieged coastal territory, which began on July 7.
At least 5,300 Gazans have also been injured, most of them critically.
Israel's operation "Protective Edge" is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive within the last six years against the densely populated Gaza Strip, which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians.
In 2008 and 2009, more than 1500 Palestinians were killed – the vast majority of them civilians – during Israel's three-week-long "Operation Cast Lead".
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