Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has called on Israel and Hamas to immediately enter into negotiations for the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire, as he warned that there is no clear timeline when talks will start.
Speaking at a press conference in Doha on Sunday with Turkey’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that both parties must engage “as stipulated in the agreement.”
According to the ceasefire deal, discussions on phase two were supposed to begin before the 16th day of the first phase, which falls on Monday. However, no formal negotiations have taken place yet.
The group of Israel and Hamas reached a very complicated three-phase truce last month which ended the hostilities in Gaza. So far, Hamas has released 18 hostages after getting hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
More than 70 hostages still are in Gaza.
The second phase of the deal is supposed to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent end to hostilities, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
“There is nothing yet clear about where the delegations will come and when it’s going to take place,” Sheikh Mohammed said. He added that mediators have been engaging with both sides remotely and that Qatar has set an agenda for the next phase.
“We hope to see movement in the coming days. It’s critical to get things rolling now to reach an agreement before day 42,” he stressed. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to discuss phase two of the ceasefire during his meeting with US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Washington on Monday.
Witkoff is expected to later meet officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have been mediating between Israel and Hamas with US backing for the past 15 months.
