Qatar says still committed to mediation role in Gaza cease-fire talks

ISTANBUL

Qatar said Tuesday it is still committed to mediating between Hamas and Israel to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Doha is currently reevaluating its mediation role.

“Qatar is committed to playing a role in mediation between Hamas and Israel," he told a press conference.

The spokesman said Doha is frustrated by recent negative statements about Qatar’s mediation role in the Gaza talks.

"We have deep frustration with such statements, especially from Israeli officials familiar with our mediation efforts and humanitarian work in Gaza," he added.

"It is early to speak about Qatar's withdrawal from the mediation role,” he said. “Qatar is currently committed to this role, and will take the decisions in the most suitable time.”

Turkish support

The spokesman hailed the Turkish support for the Qatari mediation role, stressing that Türkiye is one of the main regional countries that backs the mediation efforts in Gaza.

"Coordination is ongoing with our brothers and partners in Türkiye, we appreciate the Turkish support for the mediation efforts," al-Ansari said.

Regarding Hamas’ presence in Qatar, the spokesman said: "As long as Qatar’s mediation efforts continue, there is no justification to end the presence of the Hamas political bureau in Doha."

Al-Ansari reiterated that the Hamas office was opened, in coordination with the United States, for the purpose of mediation between both sides.

"As of now, nothing has changed in that regard," he added.

Israel has waged a brutal military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,200 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 77,000 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 200th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar