Qatar says Gaza ceasefire talks at ‘delicate stage’

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Wednesday that negotiations for a new ceasefire in Gaza were at a “delicate stage.”

He told reporters that efforts were being made to remove obstacles to a deal.

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been involved in talks to secure a halt to the fighting, which also includes the release of some hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and the release by Israel of Palestinian prisoners it is holding.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the issue in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister on Tuesday. The State Department said the two officials reiterated “the importance of continuing to work closely together in the coming days to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of all hostages.”

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Wednesday called the world’s attention to the hostage issue and called on Hamas to immediately release the hostages and accept cease-fire proposals.

“The only reason the conflict in Gaza continues is because they don’t accept this deal,” Cameron said during a visit to Israel. “We need the hostages to leave. We need aid.”

The Israeli military continued its military operations on Wednesday, saying its forces carried out airstrikes against more than 40 Hamas targets over the past day.

Gaza’s health ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli military operations had killed at least 56 people in the past day, bringing the total number of deaths since the war began to at least 33,899. The ministry said two-thirds of the victims were women and children.

Israel launched the offensive after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli data. The militants also took about 250 people hostage. Israel says about 130 hostages remain in custody, but a quarter of them are dead.

Israeli tanks rolled back into parts of the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, with the Israeli military warning Palestinians not to return. Israel says it does not want the Palestinians to return, fearing Hamas militants could regroup there.

Palestine United Nations Member States

The U.N. Security Council could vote as early as Thursday on a resolution recommending granting full membership status to the Palestinian Authority.

If the Security Council recommends the Palestinian Authority’s application, the UN General Assembly can approve it by a two-thirds majority.

But the measure’s fate in the Security Council, where the United States holds veto power, is unclear.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during a visit to South Korea on Wednesday that the United States does not view the resolution as part of achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement last month that the United States believed a two-state solution was “the only way to achieve lasting peace.”

Information for this report was obtained in part from The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.