DOHA: US and Israeli delegations will meet in Doha to discuss efforts to mediate a truce in Gaza, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said on Thursday, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.
The talks are part of ongoing international efforts to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.
During a press conference along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha, Al Thani said that delegations from the US and Israel will arrive in Qatar to discuss possible breakthroughs in the ceasefire negotiations. “A negotiating team from the United States will visit Doha alongside the negotiating team from the Israeli side to discuss the means by which a breakthrough can be achieved,” he said.
“The United States, Qatar, and Egypt are working together to broker a ceasefire in Gaza,” said the Qatari PM. He also revealed that Qatari mediators had re-established contact with Hamas following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces last week.
“We re-engaged with Hamas representatives from their political office in Doha and had some meetings in recent days. However, there is still no clear path forward,” Al Thani added. He said that discussions between Egypt and Hamas officials were also “ongoing”.
Blinken, speaking alongside Al Thani, said he hoped for an imminent resumption of talks on a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. “We are exploring different options, but we haven’t determined yet if Hamas is prepared to engage in serious talks,” Blinken told reporters.
Blinken, who is currently on his 11th visit to the Middle East since the conflict began in October 2023, reiterated US support for a peaceful resolution to the Gaza war. The US, Qatar, and Egypt have been leading efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
The talks in Doha are seen as a critical step toward breaking the deadlock in negotiations, which have failed to produce a truce since a brief one-week pause in fighting in November.
Qatar, which has long played a key mediating role in the region, is working closely with Egypt and the US to facilitate dialogue between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 42,847 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign since October 7, 2023. Israeli bombardment has also left over 100,000 people wounded in Gaza. In the last 24 hours alone, 55 people were killed in Israeli strikes, according to the ministry.
At least 17 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and dozens wounded when an Israeli airstrike targeted a school-turned-shelter in central Gaza’s Nuseirat area on Thursday, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency.
The Israeli military struck the Al-Shuhada school, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp as relentless bombardment continued in Gaza. Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defence agency, confirmed the death toll, which was corroborated by Al-Awda Hospital.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency said that more than 770 Palestinians have been killed in the northern part of the besieged territory since Israel launched its current military operation. “Since the start of the military operation in northern Gaza, more than 770 people have been killed, with many still buried under the rubble,” said Bassal.
The Israeli military has intensified its strikes across Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Israel’s latest assault, accusing the Israeli forces of attempting to depopulate Gaza, particularly in the north, where the military has focused its operations.
“It has been a year of catastrophe for the Palestinian people, following the Nakba of 1948,” Abbas said in a speech at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. “Genocide and ethnic cleansing are being committed in Gaza, especially now in the north where the occupation forces are starving the population.”
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks targeted the only firetruck in northern Gaza, destroying it and halting emergency services in the area. The destruction of the firetruck is seen as a further blow to rescue efforts in northern Gaza, where many remain trapped under debris.
Meanwhile, the BRICS alliance during its summit in Kazan, reiterated its “support for the State of Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations” and reaffirmed its commitment to a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. The alliance continues to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In Moscow, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Following their discussions, Hamas reportedly urged Russia to pressure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to begin negotiations on a national unity government for post-war Gaza.
