A key mediator on Tuesday stressed the urgency of brokering a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after Hamas showed a “positive response” to a proposal from Arab countries, but Israel has yet to weigh in as its military prepares an offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Bader Abdelattay said on Monday that his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Cairo and joined talks on restarting ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.