Qatar Mulls Stepping Down As Mediator For Gaza Ceasefire Talks

As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, Qatari Prime Minister has stated that the gulf state is considering stepping away from its role as a mediator between the two rival parties.

Danita Yadav

Updated on: 18 April 2024 3:36 pm

Qatar Mulls Stepping Down As Mediator For Gaza Ceasefire Talks Photo: AP

As Israel's war on Gaza nears 200 days, there seems to be no sign of a truce between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. As the war rages on, Qatar's Prime Minister has stated that the gulf state is considering stepping away from its role as a mediator between the two rival parties.

Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani who is also the foreign minister of the country stated that Qatar's efforts towards the ceasefire have been undermined by political for their own vested interests.

Speaking at a joint news conference with the Turkish foreign minister, the Qatari PM stated that while Doha has been committed to the mediation process between Israel and Hamas, the government has noted "abuse and harm".

The added stated that there has been "a misuse of this mediation for narrow political interests, and this necessitated Qatar to undertake a full evaluation of this role".

Without specifying the politicians, the PM, who is also the foreign minister, stated that some politicians have made "destructive" statements against Doha.

Al Thani's comments come a day after US lawmaker Steny Hoyer accused Qatar of support Hamas and urged Joe Biden to "re-evaluate ties" with Doha. Hoyer also called for the US to press Qatar to ensure Hamas accepts the ceasefire proposal sent by Israel.

As per the Qatari PM, the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas are at a "delicate phase" and reached a "stumbling block". Al Thani added that the mediators are "trying as much as possible to address this stumbling block."

Apart from Qatar, Egypt and the United States are playing a crucial role in the truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

The Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a terror attack on southern Israel. This attack killed around 1,140 people and took around 250 people as hostages.

However, in response to the Hamas attack, Israel carried out a "complete siege" of Gaza Strip and since then has bombarded the strip.

Due to Israel's relentless bombings across the Gaza Strip, around 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, majority of the death toll has been attributed to women and children.

With the war in its seventh month, around 130 hostages remain in Gaza, of which 30 are presumed dead by the IDF.