Qatar has reported progress in negotiations aimed at securing a new truce in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. This update was announced by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani during a news conference on Sunday, following a meeting earlier in the week in Doha that involved Israel’s intelligence chief, David Barnea.
Sheikh Mohammed emphasized the urgency of finding a resolution to the war, stating, “We need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That’s basically, I think, the key point of the entire negotiations.” Qatar, in collaboration with Egypt and the United States, previously brokered a truce that went into effect on January 19. However, this truce did not fully resolve the conflict, as hostilities resumed after the initial phase ended in early March and Israel escalated attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18.
The Qatari Prime Minister’s meeting with Barnea was reportedly focused on developing a potential hostage deal, although specific details were not disclosed. According to Hamas officials, there is openness to a deal that would entail the release of all hostages and establish a five-year truce. Sheikh Mohammed noted that the focus of current efforts is to create “the best comprehensive deal possible that ends the war, brings the hostages out” rather than splitting the agreement into multiple phases.
Hamas has maintained that any negotiation should culminate in a permanent cessation of hostilities, having previously rejected an Israeli proposal that offered a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the return of ten living hostages.
