Qatar assured that it was continuing its mediation efforts in order to “bridge the gap” between Israel and Hamas to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and obtain the release of the hostages. In a speech, the Hamas leader once again demanded “a permanent ceasefire” before considering an exchange of prisoners.
The government of Qatar assured Friday that it was continuing its mediation efforts in order to “bridge the gap” between Israel and Hamas and achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist movement. “We have continued our (mediation, editor’s note) efforts without interruption in recent days,” assured the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al-Thani, during a joint press conference in Madrid with the Spanish minister. of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. “There have been several meetings with the Hamas leadership to try to bridge the gap between the two sides and reach an agreement that results in a ceasefire and the release of the hostages,” he continued. .
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh confirmed Friday that his movement was open to examining “any document or initiative guaranteeing the foundations of the resistance’s position in the ceasefire negotiations,” in a statement. In his speech, Ismaïl Haniyeh once again demanded “a permanent ceasefire” before considering an exchange of prisoners, specifying that “the priority is to put an end to the criminal war against (his) people”.
“We will do everything to prevent” this escalation
The conflict broke out on October 7, when Hamas commandos carried out a series of attacks in southern Israel resulting in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count established from official Israeli data. Of the 251 people kidnapped that day by Hamas, 116 are still being held in Gaza, of whom at least 41 are dead, according to the Israeli army. The Israeli offensive that followed in the Gaza Strip has so far left at least 37,431 dead, mostly civilians, according to Hamas data, which does not specify how many of its fighters have been killed.
The current discussions mentioned by the head of the Qatari government are based on a plan announced on May 31 by American President Joe Biden. “Efforts continue but until now, we have not arrived at the formula that seems most appropriate and closest to what was presented,” acknowledged the Prime Minister, whose country is on the front line in efforts to end the conflict. “As soon as this is done, we will communicate with the Israeli side to try to bridge the gap and reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” assured the head of the Qatari government, also Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Warning against a “risk of regional escalation”, José Manuel Albares for his part hoped that the current discussions would make it possible to restore peace “in the whole of the Middle East”, and in particular in Lebanon, where trade shootings between the Israeli army and the Shiite movement Hezbollah, an ally of Iran and Hamas, have intensified in recent days. “We will do everything to prevent” this escalation, assured the Spanish minister, denouncing the “threats” launched Wednesday by Hezbollah against Cyprus, a member of the European Union.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had, for the first time ever, threatened Cyprus, the EU member closest to the Middle East, with reprisals if the country opened its airports and bases to Israel in the event of war against its movement. Having become in recent months the most critical voice within the EU with regard to the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, Spain has a contingent of 650 soldiers in Lebanon, deployed as part of the Interim United Nations Force. United in Lebanon (UNIFIL), headed by a Spanish general.
