DOHA, Qatar

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Wednesday for continuing negotiations to reach a cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip.

Bin Abdulrahman, who is also a foreign minister, received a phone call from Blinken following the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

While Hamas and Iran blamed Israel for the killing, Tel Aviv has not yet confirmed or denied its involvement.

The discussions between the Qatari and US officials took up the strategic ties between Qatar and the US and ways to develop them, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

They also discussed the latest developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories and joint mediation efforts to end the war on the enclave, the statement said.

The two diplomats “stressed the need to continue to work towards reaching a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip that would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and ensure the release of hostages and prisoners,” the ministry noted.

Earlier on Wednesday, bin Abdulrahman expressed concerns about the consequences of Haniyeh's assassination on the Gaza cease-fire talks.

“The approach of political assassinations and escalation in Gaza raises questions about how to negotiate when one side is killing its counterpart,” he said on X.

“Regional and international peace requires serious partners and an international stance against escalation and the disregard for the lives of people in the region,” he added.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt have failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire that allows a prisoner swap between Israelis and Palestinians.

So far, efforts by the three countries to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

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, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

At least 39,445 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly ten 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, which ordered Tel Aviv 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 Mohammad Sio