The prime minister of Qatar said on Saturday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire has reached a “critical moment” as both sides prepare for the next phase of President Donald Trump‘s peace plan to end the Gaza war.
Qatar is one of the four key mediators responsible for brokering the Gaza peace deal in October. The other three mediators are the United States, Egypt, and Turkey.
The Qatari leader said his government is working with the U.S. to pave the way for the second phase, one step closer toward a permanent ceasefire.
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“What we have just done is a pause,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum. “We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire.”
“A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today,” he said.
The first phase is close to winding down after Hamas returned all but one of the remaining Israeli hostages who were held captive in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. The last hostage, identified as Ran Gvili, is dead. His remains are located somewhere in the Palestinian-controlled territory.
Hamas conducted the hostage transfer in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners.
Other terms in the initial truce included a temporary cessation of fighting, a partial withdrawal of the Israeli military, and humanitarian aid provisions. Despite the tentative agreement, both Israel and Hamas have clashed in recent weeks as the terrorist group refuses to disarm.
Hamas’s pending disarmament is entirely dependent on what the post-war Gaza government and international police force look like, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday. Those details have not been finalized yet.
Trump plans to announce the new governance structure for Gaza by Christmas, according to Axios. Part of the second phase includes a transitional Board of Peace, which Trump will chair himself. The president is expected to make that announcement on Dec. 15, Israeli outlet i24NEWS reported.
The U.S.-backed peace plan does not guarantee the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, a demand that the Israeli government and Trump administration oppose. Qatar’s prime minister, however, backs the idea. He argues that is the only way for lasting peace in the Middle East.
“If we are just resolving what happened in Gaza, the catastrophe that happened in the last two years, it’s not enough,” he said. “There is a root for this conflict. And this conflict is not only about Gaza.”
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“It’s about Gaza. It’s about the West Bank. It’s about the rights of the Palestinians for their state,” he added. “We are hoping that we can work together with the U.S. administration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.”
Pope Leo XIV recently said a two-state solution is the only way to resolve the conflict in Gaza. Despite his public appeal, the U.S. and Israel are unlikely to change their hard-line stance.