DOHA: Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Wednesday said that that negotiations between Israel and Hamas to secure a truce in Gaza on specific terms and condition have stalled. “We are going through a sensitive stage with some stalling, and we are trying as much as possible to address this stalling issue,” the Qatari PM said.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said this during a news conference with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in Doha. He underscored the challenges in reaching a resolution to the ongoing conflict in the region.
Sheikh Mohammed said that truce talks, facilitated by Qatar along with the United States and Egypt, have encountered a “sensitive stage” marked by stalled progress. Efforts are being made to address the impasse, with a focus on alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and securing the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The mediators had hoped to reach a ceasefire agreement before the start of Ramadan, but despite weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, an agreement has remained elusive. Instead, concerns have intensified about the possibility of the Gaza conflict escalating into a broader regional confrontation following Iran’s recent direct attack on Israel.
Sheikh Mohammed reiterated Qatar’s longstanding warnings against the expansion of the conflict and urged the international community to intervene to halt the violence. He emphasized the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where residents face siege and starvation, with humanitarian aid being leveraged as a political tool.
The Gaza conflict, which began on October 7 last year, has resulted in significant casualties. Gaza’s health ministry has documented a higher toll, with 33,899 people killed in Israel’s relentless offensive, mostly women and children.
