ISTANBUL, June 30 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Qatar said on Monday that it is seeking to resume negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a Gaza ceasefire, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari also said that Doha is working to reach a broader agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
“There are no talks regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” Ansari told a press conference in Doha.
“Communications are underway to reach a formula to return to negotiations,” he added, without elaborating.
“We see positive language from Washington regarding reaching an agreement in Gaza, and there are serious intentions from them to push towards resuming negotiations on Gaza, but there are complications,” the spokesman said.
On Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said that Cairo is working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
Qatar “continues to pressure through our partners to separate negotiations from the entry of aid into Gaza,” Ansari said.
“Israel’s stubbornness prevents the entry of aid to Gaza. It is unacceptable to continue linking the humanitarian and military sides in Gaza.”
Egypt, Qatar, and the US brokered on Jan 19 a three-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The agreement was intended to ultimately bring an end to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.
The deal, however, collapsed after Israel resumed its attacks on the enclave on March 18.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians in a deadly onslaught in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
The Qatari spokesman said that Doha is engaged in active efforts to reach a broader agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Efforts continue to reach a broader agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme,” Ansari said, without giving further details.
A conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military, nuclear and civilian sites, killing at least 935 people and injuring 5,332, according to Iranian authorities.
The US bombed Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities in an escalation of the conflict.
The conflict came to a halt under a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on June 24.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
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