The ongoing presence of negotiators from Hamas and Israel in the Qatari capital, Doha, suggests that both sides are serious about clinching a deal.

Yet according to multiple testimonies from Gaza, Hamas is on its last legs. Its military and political leadership has been almost entirely eliminated. Its government no longer governs. Gangs and looters are filling the vacuum.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would send its negotiating team to Qatar, this after Hamas said it had issued a "positive response" to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire proposal.

The deal comes more than 20 months into the conflict -- and more than three months after a previous deal ended.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial U.S.-backed aid distribution initiative supported by Israel, is currently the primary method for Palestinians in devastated Gaza to access supplies in designated spots after Israel lifted its aid blockade in mid-May.

U.S.-led ceasefire efforts in Gaza appear to be gaining momentum after nearly 21 months of war, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel on Sunday will send a negotiating team to talks in Qatar.

Hamas announced on Friday that it had “submitted a positive response” to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, opening the path toward a deal to halt the conflict after months of failed efforts.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas towards a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip have started in Qatar.