WASHINGTON: Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali al Harthy, Under-Secretary of the Foreign Ministry for Diplomatic Affairs, held meetings with Kurt Campbell, US Deputy Secretary of State, alongside a number of officials from the State Department and the White House on the sidelines of the second Omani-American Strategic Dialogue in Washington.
During the meetings, they discussed bilateral relations and regional issues including the Palestinian cause.
The Omani side emphasised its position demanding an immediate cessation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, intensifying efforts to bring in humanitarian aid and endeavouring to establish an independent Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, Hamas said on Saturday that it was studying the latest Israeli counterproposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza, a day after media reports said a delegation from mediator Egypt arrived in Israel in a bid to jump-start stalled negotiations.
The signs of fresh truce talks came alongside at least three Israeli air strikes during the night in Rafah, southernmost Gaza, according to an AFP correspondent.
Rafah is crowded with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by nearly seven months of war between Israel and Hamas. Strikes in Rafah and elsewhere killed more than a dozen people overnight, hospital officials said.
"Today, the Hamas movement received the official Zionist occupation response to the movement's position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13," Khalil al Hayya, deputy head of Hamas's political arm in Gaza, said in a statement.
"The movement will study this proposal, and upon completion of its study, it will submit its response."
Hamas has previously insisted on a permanent ceasefire, something rejected by Israel.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been unsuccessfully trying to seal a new truce deal in Gaza ever since a one-week halt to the fighting in November saw 80 Israeli captives exchanged for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. A delegation from Egypt arrived in Israel on Friday hoping to revive the truce negotiations, Israeli and Egyptian media reported.
There has been "noticeable progress in bringing the views of the Egyptian and Israeli delegations closer", said Al Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian state intelligence services.
In early April, Hamas had said it was studying a proposal, after talks in Cairo, and Al Qahera reported progress. Days later, Israel and Hamas accused each other of undermining negotiations.
AGENDA
The war is on the agenda for an international summit in Saudi Arabia. The World Economic Forum special meeting, scheduled to begin in Riyadh on Sunday, will include a Gaza-focused session on Monday set to feature newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations aid coordinator for the Gaza Strip.
Israel's military offensive has turned vast swathes of Gaza into rubble, creating 37 million tonnes of debris that will take years to clear away, according to the UN Mine Action Service. It said unexploded ordnance would complicate that work.
On Friday, the European Union said it was giving an extra $73 million for food, water and other aid to Palestinians in Gaza "in light of the continued deterioration of the severe humanitarian crisis".
The World Food Programme has warned famine is "a real and dangerous threat".
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, where intense fighting raged in February, some residents said they preferred to return and live among the ruins. SEE ALSO P6
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