U.S. mediators from Egypt and Qatar held talks in Doha, with representatives from Israel and Hamas present (file photo)
Doha:
Qatar is “hopeful” for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and is pushing for an agreement before Ramadan, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The gas-rich Gulf state is home to Hamas’s political bureau and has been a key mediator in negotiations involving Palestinian militants, Israel, the United States and Egypt.
“We remain hopeful, not necessarily optimistic, about what will be announced today or tomorrow, but we remain hopeful that some kind of agreement can be reached,” Majid Ansari told a regular briefing.
“Obviously we said Ramadan was going to be a point of contention, it was going to be a point of confrontation and we were going to push for a pause before Ramadan started.
“We are all committed to achieving this goal, but the situation on the ground remains unstable,” he added.
Ansari’s comments came after U.S. President Joe Biden said a new ceasefire and hostage releases could begin as early as Monday, ahead of the Muslim holy month that begins around March 11.
“So far we have not reached an agreement and we are still trying to negotiate between the parties,” Ansari said.
The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said Israel’s land, sea and air war against Hamas was in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed at least 29,878 people.
Hamas has attacked rural communities and military posts along the Gaza Strip border, killing at least 1,160 people, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli data.
Israel says about 250 hostages have been taken, 130 of whom are still in Gaza, but about 30 are believed to have died.
In November, fighting was suspended for a week and more than 100 hostages were released, including 80 Israelis, in exchange for some 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. mediators held talks in Doha on Sunday that were also attended by representatives of Israel and Hamas, Egyptian state media reported.
The Doha talks followed a meeting in Paris that Hamas did not participate in, with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan telling CNN that the delegates “agreed among the four on the basic outlines of a temporary ceasefire hostage agreement.” “.
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