Qatar’s Prime Minister stated on Monday that a framework for halting fighting in Gaza and securing the release of hostages will be conveyed to Hamas, following discussions with US, Israeli and Egyptian officials.
A framework for a halt in fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages is to be relayed to Hamas, Qatar’s Prime Minister said Monday following meetings with US, Israeli and Egyptian officials.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, has led mediation efforts since war broke out on October 7 between Israel and Hamas, triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attacks on southern Israel.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaking in Washington at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank, said “good progress” had been made during the talks in Paris.
The Qatari premier confirmed that the meetings with CIA chief Bill Burns and top Israeli and Egyptian security officials had resulted in a framework for a phased truce. The truce would see women and children hostages released first, with aid also entering the besieged Gaza Strip.
The parties were “hoping to relay this proposal to Hamas and to get them to a place where they engage positively and constructively in the process,” he said.
The wealthy Gulf emirate of Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, also hosts Hamas’s political office and is the main residence of the Islamists’ self-exiled leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The Qatari premier warned an attack blamed on Iran-backed militants that killed three US troops in Jordan could escalate regional tensions.
“We’ve been warning from day one that this war has the potential of expanding and spilling over in the region,” he said.
“I hope that nothing undermines the efforts that we are making or jeopardizes the process, but it will definitely have an impact,” he added.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
