Qatari PM says Gaza ceasefire talks are at “critical” moment
Efforts to solidify the U.S.-backed truce in Gaza have reached a pivotal stage, according to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who warned on December 6th that negotiations remain fragile, as reported by Reuters.
His remarks, delivered during a panel at the Doha Forum conference in Qatar, underscored the uncertainty surrounding the next steps in the peace process.
Al-Thani described mediators as pushing hard to advance the next phase of the ceasefire, with Qatar continuing its prominent role in facilitating discussions. Although he claimed that hostilities have eased since the truce took effect on October 10th, he stressed that the situation falls short of a true ceasefire.
“We are at a critical moment. It’s not yet there. So what we have just done is a pause,” he said. He added that a true ceasefire would require a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and conditions in Gaza that allow normal movement of people, requirements he said have not been met.
Despite the apparent truce, Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement many times, including persistent strikes on Gaza and the demolition of locations it claims to be Hamas infrastructure.
On December 6th the Israeli military reported that its forces, positioned behind the “yellow line” established in the withdrawal agreement, opened fire on Palestinian militants who had crossed the boundary, killing three.
On November 29th two Palestinian children were collecting firewood for their wheelchair bound father, were then murdered by Israeli forces, as reported by CNN. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted to carrying out the strike and described the children as “two suspects who crossed the yellow line, conduct[ing] suspicious activities on the ground, and approach[ing] IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat to them.”
Talks are ongoing to implement further steps of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The initiative envisions an interim technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave, supervised by an international “board of peace” and supported by a security force.
Negotiators have struggled particularly with defining the composition and authority of that force.
Progress toward the plan’s initial goals continued on December 4th, when an Israeli delegation met mediators in Cairo to address the return of the final hostage held in Gaza. Since the truce began, Hamas has handed over 20 living hostages and 27 bodies, while Israel has released roughly 2,000 Palestinian hostages and convicted prisoners.
Reuters, CNN, Maghrebi.org
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