A Hamas official says international mediators have resumed negotiating with the Palestinian group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month offensive was within reach, the Associated Press reports.

There has been a “reactivation” of efforts in recent days to end the fighting, release captives from Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners in Israel, according to Basem Naim, an official in Hamas’s political bureau who spoke with AP in Turkiye.

Naim said that no “solid, well-formed” new ceasefire proposal has yet been presented to Hamas.

And even though ceasefire talks have broken down on multiple occasions throughout the conflict, Naim told AP he thought it was “not a big challenge to reach a deal […] if there are intentions on the other side”.

Another official familiar with the talks confirmed the return of Qatari mediators. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the negotiations with the media.