Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said on Friday that there has been some progress in negotiations over a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip but gaps remain between the warring sides, Israel and Hamas.
"There was progress to an extent in the situation," he said, adding that there were "still some gaps."
"We continue our endeavours and there have been successive meetings with the Hamas movement in a bid to bridge the gap between the two sides and reach an agreement to achieve ceasefire and exchange hostages and prisoners," he said, speaking in Madrid where he was taking part in the Qatari-Spanish Strategic Dialogue.
"Efforts are still ongoing, we have not yet reached a format that would be suitable... and once we reach that, we will communicate it to the Israeli side to bridge the gap and reach a deal as soon as possible," Mohammed added.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been mediating for months to achieve a ceasefire and exchange hostages kept by the militant group for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
At the end of May, US President Joe Biden presented a three-stage plan, the latest push by mediators to negotiate a ceasefire. Hamas said last week it sent its response to Qatar and Egypt.