Israel calls on Qatar to ‘stop playing both sides’ in Gaza talks
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Despite efforts by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to restore a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands.
PHOTO: REUTERS
CAIRO - Israel called on Qatar – a key mediator between Israel and Hamas – to “stop playing both sides with its double-talk and decide if it’s on the side of civilisation or if it’s on the side of Hamas”, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said on May 3.
Qatar rejected the statements as “inflammatory”.
Despite efforts by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to restore a ceasefire, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.
Israel, which wants the return of 59 hostages still held in Gaza, has insisted that Hamas must disarm and be excluded from any role in the future governance of the enclave, a condition that the Palestinian militant group rejects.
Hamas has insisted on agreeing on a lasting end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces as a condition for a deal that would see the release of the hostages.
“The State of Qatar firmly rejects the inflammatory statements issued by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, which fall far short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari posted on social media platform X early on May 4.
Mr Al-Ansari criticised the portrayal of the Gaza conflict as a defence of civilisation, likening it to historical regimes that used “false narratives to justify crimes against civilians”.
In his post, he also questioned whether the release of 138 hostages was achieved through military operations or mediation efforts, which he said are being unjustly criticised and undermined.
Mr Al-Ansari also cited the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza represented by what he called a suffocating blockade, systematic starvation, denial of medicine and shelter, and the use of humanitarian aid as a tool of political coercion.
On May 2, Israel’s security Cabinet approved plans for an expanded operation
Israel’s campaign was triggered by the devastating Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw 251 taken hostage.
Israel has so far killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and devastated Gaza, where aid groups have warned that the Israeli blockade risks a humanitarian disaster. REUTERS
