Gaza ceasefire talks making some progress, says Qatari PM
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The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in Israeli strikes during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, on March 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DOHA - Qatar’s Prime Minister said on April 27 that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.
“We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared with other meetings; yet, we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That’s the key point of the entire negotiations,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister.
Mossad director David Barnea travelled to Doha on April 24 to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week.
Sheikh Mohammed did not say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.
He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages
“When you don’t have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin,” Sheikh Mohammed said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Mr Fidan said talks that Turkish officials have held with Hamas had shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.
Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza
The Gaza war started after Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s offensive on the enclave has killed more than 51,400, according to local health officials. REUTERS
