Cairo, 9 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The United States, Qatar and Egypt have called for Israel and Palestinian militant organization Hamas to resume negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostages-for-prisoners deal on August 15.

"It is time to bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families," the leaders of the US, Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement on Thursday.

"The time has come to conclude the ceasefire and hostages and detainees release deal," US President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in the joint statement.

Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been mediating for months to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and exchange hostages kept by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The three mediator states said that "a framework agreement" they put together "is now on the table with only the details of implementation left to conclude."

The agreement on the table is based on a plan laid out by Biden in May to end the conflict in three phases, starting with a complete and unrestricted ceasefire of six weeks.

"There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay. It is time to release the hostages, begin the ceasefire, and implement this agreement," the joint statement read.

The mediators offered to prepare "a final bridging proposal" if necessary, as they urged Hamas and Israel to resume talks on "August 15 in Doha or Cairo to close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay."

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the joint statement by saying that it would send a delegation to whichever location is chosen for the negotiations on August 15 to "finalize the details for implementing the framework agreement," according to the Times of Israel and Haaretz.

Fears have recently increased that a major war could break out in the region after the recent targeted killings of a top Hamas leader and of a top Hezbollah commander, prompting Iran and its allies to threaten retaliation against Israel.

The war in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented massacre in which more than 1,200 people in Israel were killed by Hamas and other militant groups on October 7. A further 250 hostages were into the Gaza Strip.

Due to the high number of civilian casualties and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel has come under international criticism.

Ten months on from Israel's air and ground offensive, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 39,600 people have died in the Palestinian territory.