DUBAI, May 14. /TASS/. Negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have reached a deadlock due to the Israeli operation in Rafah, where most of the displaced residents of the Palestinian enclave are sheltering, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who is mediating talks between Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, said.

"We have seen some momentum in recent weeks, but unfortunately the negotiating process has not moved in the right direction. We are now in a state of almost complete stalemate. Of course, what happened with Rafah has set us back in terms of working on an agreement," the prime minister said at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.

He also pointed out that mediators cannot reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza because of "fundamental differences" in the positions of the warring parties. "One side wants to end the war and then talk about hostages. The other side wants to release the hostages and continue the war. As long as there is no common ground between these two positions, we will not reach any result," the Qatari prime minister added.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.

In late November 2023, Hamas and Israel agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire thanks to the mediation of Egypt and Qatar. Hamas released several groups of children, teenagers, and women held in the enclave in exchange for the release of teenagers and women from Israeli prisons. The ceasefire lasted from November 24 to December 1, when the Israeli army announced that Hamas had violated the ceasefire by firing into Israeli territory. In response, Israeli servicemen resumed fighting in the enclave.