Refugee camp for Palestinians in Khan Yunis
A spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry stated on Tuesday that the country is hopeful for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and is working to reach a deal before Ramadan.
The gas-rich Gulf state, which houses Hamas’ political office, has played an important role in negotiations involving Palestinian militants, Israel, the United States, and Egypt.
“We remain hopeful, not necessarily optimistic, that we can announce something today or tomorrow, but we remain hopeful that we can get to some kind of agreement”, Majed al-Ansari said.
“We said that Ramadan is going to be a point of contention, it’s going to be a point of confrontation, that we are going to push for a pause before the beginning of Ramadan”, Majed al-Ansari continued.
Majed al-Ansari went on to say, “We are all aiming towards that target, but the situation is still fluid on the ground”.
Ansari was speaking after US President Joe Biden announced that a new ceasefire and hostage release might begin as early as Monday, ahead of the Muslim holy month, which begins around March 11.
“Till now we don’t have an agreement, we are still working on the negotiations on all sides”, Majed al-Ansari clarified.
Israel’s air, land, and sea battle against Hamas in response to its devastating October 7 attacks on southern Israel has killed at least 29,878 people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Hamas struck rural communities and military posts near the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,160 people.
Some 250 captives were kidnapped, with 130 still in Gaza, while roughly 30 are believed to be dead, Israel claims.
During a one-week respite in violence in November, more than 100 captives were released, including 80 Israelis who were exchanged for approximately 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
On Sunday, Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediators met in Doha for discussions. Israeli and Hamas representatives were also present.
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