Israel's Rafah attack set Hamas talks 'backward': Qatar
Agencies
Synopsis
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stated that Israel's military operation in Rafah has hindered truce negotiations with Hamas, describing the talks as almost at a stalemate. Despite efforts from Qatar, Egypt, and the US, there is uncertainty on how to halt the conflict, with Israel showing no signs of considering a ceasefire.
By AFP
Last Updated:
DOHA: Israel's military operation in Rafah has set truce negotiations with Hamas "backward", mediator Qatar said on Tuesday, adding that talks have reached "almost a stalemate".
"Of course, what happened with Rafah has set us backward."
Qatar, which has hosted Hamas's political office in Doha since 2012, has been engaged -- along with Egypt and the United States -- in months of behind-the-scenes mediation between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
Israel continued to fight Hamas in Rafah on Monday, despite US warnings against a full-scale assault on the south Gaza city that is crowded with displaced Palestinians.
"There is no clarity how to stop the war from the Israeli side. I don't think that they are considering this as an option... even when we are talking about the deal and leading to a potential ceasefire," Sheikh Mohammed said.
Israeli politicians were indicating "by their statements that they will remain there, they will continue the war. And there is no clarity on what Gaza will look like after this", he added.
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"Especially in the past few weeks, we have seen some momentum building but unfortunately things didn't move in the right direction and right now we are on a status of almost a stalemate," Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the Qatar Economic Forum."Of course, what happened with Rafah has set us backward."
Qatar, which has hosted Hamas's political office in Doha since 2012, has been engaged -- along with Egypt and the United States -- in months of behind-the-scenes mediation between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
Israel continued to fight Hamas in Rafah on Monday, despite US warnings against a full-scale assault on the south Gaza city that is crowded with displaced Palestinians.
"There is no clarity how to stop the war from the Israeli side. I don't think that they are considering this as an option... even when we are talking about the deal and leading to a potential ceasefire," Sheikh Mohammed said.
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Israeli politicians were indicating "by their statements that they will remain there, they will continue the war. And there is no clarity on what Gaza will look like after this", he added.
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