Qatar, mediating talks to forge a deal between Israel and Hamas, said that the Palestinian Islamist group has yet to respond to a recent proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release. “The mediators have not received until now a reply from Hamas … The movement has notified that it is still studying the proposal,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said late Thursday. Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas for months to achieve a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages kept by the militant group for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Eff…