NEW DELHI, Oct 23 Reuters Oil prices fell more than 1 on Monday as concerns about supply disruptions eased due to diplomatic efforts intensifying in an attempt to contain the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Brent crude futures fell 67 cents to 91.49 a barrel, as of 0628 GMT, having lost 1.08 to 91.08 a barrel earlier on Monday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 82 cents at 87.26 a barrel, after sliding 1.72 to 87.03 a barrel earlier in the session.
The contracts had risen more than 1 last week for a second consecutive weekly jump on fears of potential supply disruption if the IsraelHamas war grows into a wider confrontation in the Middle East, the world39;s biggest oilsupplying region.
Aid convoys started to arrive in the Gaza Strip from Egypt over the weekend, as Arab leaders and foreign ministers gathered for a summit in Cairo which was unable to yield a joint statement.
There is some relief in the oil market that Israel is holding off on a planned ground incursion of northern Gaza to negotiate a release of hostages, which opens up a window for diplomacy, said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights.
A ground siege is seen as a potential trigger for widening the IsraelHamas conflict into the Middle East region, the factor behind crude39;s risk premium over the past fortnight, Hari said.
Analysts at ANZ Research echoed the sentiment, adding in a client note this provided hope that…