Hamas and Israel on Saturday accused the other of blocking attempts to strike a Gaza ceasefire agreement, nearly a week into indirect talks between the two sides to halt 21 months of bitter fighting in the Palestinian territory.

While UN and European officials hope that a cease-fire deal would help ease suffering among the Strip’s population, Israelis worry that as in the

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week did not result in a ceasefire deal for the Gaza war, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts