WASHINGTON: A US official said on Tuesday that negotiations on a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza are continuing in Qatar, after an earlier round of talks wrapped up in Cairo amid growing regional tensions, AFP reported.

US President Joe Biden’s point man for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, is in Doha for the talks aimed at halting the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza since October 7, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip crowded onto the seashore as Israeli troops continued attacks in central and southern areas. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 17 people killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday.

In recent days, Israel has issued several evacuation orders for Palestinians across Gaza, the most since the beginning of the 10-month conflict, prompting an outcry from Palestinians, the United Nations, and relief organizations over the reduction of humanitarian zones and the absence of safe areas.

Displaced families and residents in the southern city of Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis, in central Gaza, where most of the population is now concentrated, said they have been pushed to live in tents now packed on the beach.

Earlier on Sunday, there was no deal in the Gaza truce talks that took place in Cairo, with neither Israel nor Hamas agreeing to several compromises presented by mediators, two Egyptian security sources stated, casting doubt on the chances of success in the latest US-backed effort to end the 10-month-old conflict.

However, a senior US official, described the dialogues as “constructive,” adding they were conducted in a spirit for all parties to reach a final and implementable deal.

The peace talks will continue over the next days through working groups to further address remaining problems and details,” the official told Reuters on the condition of anonymity, saying that the teams would remain in Cairo, Egypt.

Months of on-off dialogues have failed to produce a deal to end Israel’s devastating military offensive in Gaza or free the remaining captives held by Hamas.

Speaking at a press conference in Halifax, Canada, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had said the US is still “feverishly” working in Cairo to get a truce and a hostage agreement.

The main sticking points in the current talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States include an Israeli presence in the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

Earlier, in July, Hamas had accepted a US proposal to start talks on releasing Israeli captives, including troops and men, 16 days following the first phase of a deal aimed at ending the Gaza conflict, a senior Hamas source told Reuters.

Reuters reported that a Hamas delegation left Cairo on Sunday following holding talks with mediators, senior official Izzat El-Reshiq stated, saying that the group had reiterated its demand that any deal must stipulate a permanent truce and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.