Key Takeaways
- The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been violated multiple times, hindering its full implementation.
- The United States, Egypt, and Qatar are mediating the Middle East peace talks, with security and defense being the most important topics of discussion.
- Qatar has been a strong believer in the two-state solution and is committed to finding a lasting peace agreement in the Middle East.
Doha: Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas was not fully implemented due to numerous violations.
A three-stage ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. However, the ceasefire was not observed in March, causing significant challenges to the peace process.
“As a mediator, I try as much as possible not to be critical of one party over the other, but there were a lot of problems and violations that took place in the first deal that didn’t allow us to win the trust between the parties to continue with the second phase of the deal,” Al Thani told The Washington Post newspaper on Monday.
The prime minister added that he had no information on whether US President Donald Trump intended to speak out in favor of a Palestinian state during his Middle East tour, which includes a visit to Doha.
“We didn’t hear anything like this, but this is the ultimate solution. Qatar has been from the beginning a strong believer in the two-state solution,” Al Thani said, adding that many aspects would be discussed during the talks with Trump, the most important of which are security and defense.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff that a delegation will be sent to Qatar on May 13 to continue talks on a settlement in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.
