Gaza mediator Qatar has said that obstacles to a deal between Israel and Hamas for a truce and hostage exchange have been overcome, AFP reports.

“During the past months, there were underlying issues, major issues between the two parties unresolved. These issues were resolved during the talks in the past couple of weeks, and therefore we have reached a point where the major issues that were preventing a deal from happening were addressed,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a news conference.

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