Internationally facilitated ceasefire negotiations in Qatar are set to continue for a second day on Friday, aiming to prevent the conflict in Gaza from escalating into a broader regional war. While Hamas is not directly involved, representatives from Qatar and Egypt are participating on their behalf.

Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign minister is scheduled to meet with his counterparts from the United Kingdom and France on Friday to discuss measures to prevent further escalation in the region.

The renewed effort to end the Israel-Hamas war comes as the number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza surpassed 40,000 , according to Gaza health authorities. The United Nations head believes this figure is accurate, or perhaps even an underestimate.

Mediators have been working for months to finalize a three-phase plan that would see Hamas release the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. This agreement would likely ease tensions across the region and may discourage Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah from retaliating against Israel following the death of a senior Hezbollah commander in an Israeli airstrike and the death of Hamas’ top political leader in an explosion in Iran’s capital.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norway will temporarily close its representative office in the Palestinian territories “until further notice” after Israel revoked the accreditation of Norwegian diplomats working there, the foreign minister announced on Friday.

Norway considers the early August decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to be "extreme and unreasonable,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, announcing the closure of the Representative Office in the West Bank town of Al Ram, nearly 30 years after it opened in 1995.

“This decision aims to target the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority, as well as those who advocate for international law, the two-state solution, and the Palestinians’ rightful claim to self-determination,” Barth Eide said. Norway “will do everything in our power to ensure that this does not affect our work for Palestine and a viable Palestinian state.”

In May, Norway — alongside Spain and Ireland — announced their recognition of a Palestinian state .

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al Ansari stated that the ceasefire talks are still underway and will continue on Friday.

In a statement released by the Qatari News Agency, he indicated that “the mediators are committed to achieving a ceasefire in (Gaza) that will facilitate the release of hostages and enable the delivery of the maximum amount of humanitarian aid” to the region.