Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, stated on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made progress.
“We saw some progress on Thursday compared to previous meetings, but we still need to find an answer to the ultimate question: how to end this war. This is the key point in all negotiations,” said Al Thani, who also serves as Qatar’s Foreign Minister.
Israel’s Mossad intelligence chief, David Barnea, traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet with Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to broker a new ceasefire agreement for Gaza, Axios reported last week.
Sheikh Mohammed did not specify which aspects of the ceasefire negotiations had seen progress in recent days but emphasized that Hamas and Israel remain divided over the final objective of the talks.
He said the militant group is ready to release all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel agrees to end the war in Gaza. However, according to him, Israel seeks the release of the hostages without offering a clear plan for ending the conflict.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that talks held between Turkish officials and Hamas indicated that the group might be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a simple ceasefire in Gaza, aiming instead for a sustainable resolution to the conflict with Israel, including a two-state solution.
Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 following the collapse of the January ceasefire, stating it will continue to apply pressure on Hamas until the remaining hostages are freed. It is believed that up to 24 of the hostages are still alive.
