Progress in Gaza ceasefire negotiations: PM

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani has stressed that there is a progress in the ongoing negotiations for a hostage-prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, which could lead to a permanent ceasefire, calling on both parties to take this opportunity to end the war.
In a discussion session at the Atlantic Council, HE Sheikh Mohamed said that a good progress was made on Sunday which got things back on track and laid a foundation for the way forward. "We cannot say that this makes us..in better shape very soon."
However, he said: "But we are hoping, actually, to relay this proposal to Hamas and to get them to a place where they engage positively and constructively in the process." He described it as "the only way to get the situation de-escalated", expressing hope that both parties use this opportunity to stop the war and get the hostages back to their homes."
"Now, our main role as mediator is trying our best to get a negotiated solution where it can bring the hostages safely back to their homes, yet also stopping the bombing, you know, and the continuation of the killing of the civilians. We've seen the numbers are increasing dramatically."
Regarding Hamas's position and achieving a breakthrough to reach an agreement, HE Sheikh Mohamed said: "We are an intermediary party here. We are not a party of this conflict and we are trying our best to bridge the gap is the framework that Tuesday been agreed upon with all the parties, was a framework based on what's been proposed by the Israelis and what's been a counterproposal from Hamas and we tried to blend things together to come up with some sort of a reasonable ground that brings everybody together."
Answering a question regarding Qatar's ability to pressure Hamas, HE Sheikh Mohamed said: "Our role is mediator. We try to bring the parties to bridge the gaps between them... pressuring both of them by words, by meetings, by commitment, by addressing the issues with some solutions. That's the pressure and the leverage."
He said beyond that Qatar cannot impose anything on neither sides, adding "We are using our good offices to connect, to bridge gaps, to put solutions, to come up with some alternatives." He said that through this approach, Qatar has been successful in reaching an agreement between Hamas and Israel to establish a humanitarian pause and conduct an exchange of hostages and prisoners in November, as well as Qatar's successful mediation between the US and Iran, and between the US and the Taliban, in addition to Qatar's accomplishment in reuniting some Ukrainian children with their families in Ukraine, adding that this is how Qatar operates.
Regarding whether the attack on an American base in Jordan might affect the ongoing negotiations to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip, HE Sheikh Mohamed said: "We've been warning from day one that this war has a potential of expanding and spillover in the region. I hope that nothing will undermine the efforts that we are making or jeopardise the process. Yet, it will definitely have an impact. One way or another, it will have an impact on the region's security. And we hope that things get contained and not to get escalated beyond control."
"We condemn any act that tries to undermine the security and stability of the region. Infringing the security of a country like Jordan or even killing soldiers who are part of a coalition that we are a member of is not something that can be acceptable. In order to rescue the region from suffering and stop further escalation, a solution must be found to what's happening in Gaza. We don't encourage any attacks to happen in any country in our region and we are calling for de-escalation to contain the situation as much as possible," he added.
Regarding the Israeli prime minister's statements rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, he said that he doesn't want to comment on such statements and that Qatar is not expecting thanks from him. He added that "the State of Qatar understands its role and everyone is aware of its importance and integrity. We have been very transparent with everyone from the beginning and our role has proven that it's getting results and not just putting out some statements or using it for political exploitation."
He also stressed that "the only way forward to have a peaceful region is a two-state solution. That's what the State of Qatar stands for and what we believe in."