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Middle East conflict

Qatar continues talks on Gaza ceasefire — diplomat

According to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed bin Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Ansari, the consultations on Gaza are also being held on other tracks, including in Cairo

DOHA, December 24. /TASS/. Qatari mediators continue consultations aimed at establishing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed bin Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Ansari said at a briefing.

"As for the talks on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, they continue <…> at a technical level. The talks are now being held in Doha," the diplomat, who is also an advisor to the country’s prime minister, said. According to him, the consultations on Gaza are also being held on other tracks, including in Cairo.

"As you know, we are constantly coordinating with our brothers in Egypt. I cannot now comment on the progress of these talks, but I can say that they are continuing. No one can say for sure the timeframe within which the agreement will be reached," the spokesman said.

On December 22, the Al Arabiya TV channel reported, citing sources, that the Israeli delegation was discussing with Qatari mediators in Doha ways to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and free all the Hamas-held hostages. According to the TV channel’s sources, the Israeli side "sees a prospect" of concluding a deal with Hamas despite "poor chances."

Qatar, home to the Hamas political bureau, has been acting as a mediator along with Egypt and the US to resolve the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Thanks to the mediators’ efforts, in November 2023 a week-long ceasefire was established. A total of 110 hostages have been liberated then, the Israeli side said. However, on December 1, the ceasefire was violated. In August, Doha hosted another round of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the enclave and the release of Hamas-held hostages. During the consultations, the US, backed by Qatar and Egypt, presented a proposal to resolve the conflict. Hamas, however, said that the US initiative took into account only Israel’s interests.

On November 9, Al-Ansari announced that Doha had suspended its mediation efforts because Israel and Hamas were not interested in ending the conflict.

On December 8, the spokesman told TASS that Qatar had resumed its mediation efforts to settle the Middle East conflict.

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