Qatar ruler meets with Hamas, US envoys over Gaza ceasefire talks

AFP , Monday 13 Jan 2025

Qatar's ruler met with Hamas representatives and the Middle East envoys for the incoming and outgoing US administrations on Monday as part of a push to secure a so-far elusive ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani
File Photo: Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. AFP

 

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and a delegation from the Palestinian militant group headed by lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya discussed "developments in the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip, which aim to achieve a long-term truce", his office said in a statement.

The Qatari ruler also met with Steve Witkoff, US President-elect Donald Trump's intended Middle East envoy, and Brett McGurk, the incumbent Joe Biden's envoy for the region, the emir's office said in a separate statement.

Shortly afterwards, the White House released a statement saying Biden spoke with Sheikh Tamim to discuss "negotiations in Doha for a ceasefire and hostage release deal".

"Both leaders emphasised the urgent need for a deal to be implemented to return the hostages... and bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza through a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by the ceasefire and called for in the deal," the statement said.

Qatar, alongside fellow mediators the United States and Egypt, has been engaged in months of talks between Israel and Hamas that have failed to end the devastating conflict in Gaza.

Since early January, indirect negotiations have resumed in Doha to strike a ceasefire deal that would facilitate the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza.

A previous round of mediation in December ended without a deal and with both sides blaming the other for the impasse. Hamas accused Israel of setting new conditions and Israel accused Hamas of throwing up obstacles to a deal.

In December, the gas-rich Gulf emirate expressed optimism that momentum was returning to the talks following Donald Trump's election victory in the United States.

A month earlier, Doha had said it was putting its mediation efforts on hold and that they would resume only when Hamas and Israel showed "willingness and seriousness".

A key obstacle to a deal in previous rounds has been Israel's reluctance to agree to a lasting ceasefire.

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