ByLAHAV HARKOV
Updated:

United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland was in Qatar on Thursday, working on a ceasefire, a diplomatic source said.

Wennesland was in Doha “on an official visit as part of the United Nations' intensified efforts to restore calm in Gaza and Israel,” the source said. “The UN is actively engaged with all the relevant parties in order to de-escalate the situation on the ground.”

Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashaal are based in Qatar, and Haniyeh met with Wennesland, according to local media reports.

The meeting came as international actors – the US, Egypt, and others – worked towards a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, 11 days after Hamas escalated tensions by shooting rockets at Jerusalem.

Wednesday night was relatively quiet, but Hamas once again launched barrages of rockets into southern Israel on Thursday morning and afternoon.

A senior Hamas official told CNN on Wednesday night that he expects a ceasefire agreement to be reached within the next couple of days, Israeli media reported.

"I think ceasefire mediation will work,” deputy head of the Hamas political branch Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook said. “The equation was clear - if they escalate we escalate. If they stop firing at Gaza we'll stop firing at Tel Aviv. Israel's actions in Jerusalem and Sheikh Jarrah have caused the al-Aqsa Brigades to enter the campaign," he said. "Any negotiations for a ceasefire must address that."

Despite the claim, Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said that Israel was determined to continue the operation for as long as it was needed to restore security to the State of Israel.

“We will end the operation when we feel we have achieved our goals,” Cohen told KAN Radio.

During a Wednesday phone call between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden said he “expected a significant de-escalation on the path to a ceasefire.” Netanyahu told Biden that the operation will continue until Israeli citizens are secure.