Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said that his country is serious about reaching a deal with Hamas to end the fighting in Gaza and return the hostages held there to Israel, Reuters reports.

At a press conference in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Saar said: “We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. We said yes to [US] special envoy [Steve] Witkoff’s proposals.

“There are some positive signs. I dont want to say more than that right now. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,” said Saar, who spoke after holding talks with Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.