Mediator Qatar’s PM expects Gaza ceasefire to last despite ‘violation’
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A man surveying the damage to his home following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Oct 29.
PHOTO: EPA
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NEW YORK - Mediator Qatar said on Oct 29 it expected a US-backed ceasefire to hold in Gaza despite a “violation” as Israel carried out strikes in response to Palestinian fire.
“Fortunately I think the main parties – both of them – are acknowledging that the ceasefire should hold and they should stick to the agreement,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Council on Foreign Relations on a visit to New York.
Israel carried out major strikes
Gaza’s civil defence agency said the Israeli strikes killed more than 100 people
Taking a cautious tone, Mr Al Thani did not accuse Israel of violating the ceasefire and pointed to the attack on Israeli soldiers.
“That’s basically a violation by the Palestinian party,” Mr Al Thani said, while noting that Hamas has said it was not communicating with the group that carried out the attack.
“Yesterday’s event was honestly something that is very disappointing and frustrating for us to see,” Mr Al Thani added.
“We are trying to contain it and we mobilised right away after this in full coordination with the United States. And we have seen that the US also is committed to the deal, so the ceasefire still holds as of now.”
Qatar, where Hamas leaders have lived, has been the key diplomatic go-between since Israel launched its devastating offensive in response to a massive attack by the Palestinian armed group
In September, Israel carried out a strike inside Qatar aimed at Hamas leaders
Mr Al Thani called the attack – in which a Qatari security guard became the first citizen of a Gulf Arab monarchy killed by an Israeli airstrike – not only “a shock but a game-changer for all the region”.
“I think that the attack itself has shown the US that there are all the red lines being crossed in the region,” he said. AFP
