Qatar, one of the main countries that negotiated the Gaza ceasefire agreement, has now distanced itself from the process. The main reason behind this is that neither Hamas nor Israel are showing an “honest willingness” to take concrete steps toward talks. A diplomatic official gave this information to the Reuters news agency.
The official said: “Qatar will halt its efforts to mediate the Gaza ceasefire agreement until Hamas and Israel show a sincere willingness to return to the negotiating table.” Additionally, the official said that Qatar has concluded that Hamas’ political office in Doha no longer serves any purpose.
Qatar, together with the United States and Egypt, has been trying for several months to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza and free Israeli citizens held hostage by Hamas after October 7, 2023.
However, according to another official, Qatar is likely to resume mediation efforts if both sides show “serious political will.” This information has been provided to the Associated Press.
Information about this decision has also been given to Israel, Hamas and the United States. From this announcement it was clear that the efforts made by Qatar to reach a ceasefire agreement had created an atmosphere of disappointment. The most recent talks, held in mid-October, also ended without a solution, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal.
According to a US official, the United States had told Qatar that Hamas’ presence in Doha was no longer acceptable after rejecting the recent proposal, especially without concrete progress being made toward a ceasefire and hostage-taking agreement. .
