Israel, Hamas 'not near a deal' on Gaza ceasefire, says Qatar

Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry, stated on Tuesday that although an agreement on hostages and a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is still a long way off, Doha is still optimistic.

The commencement of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Monday came without the start of the much-desired truce and hostage exchange, despite weeks of negotiations including US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators.

“We are not near a Gaza ceasefire deal but remain hopeful,” Ansari said at a press conference in Doha, adding that talks are ongoing.

“We are not seeing both sides converging on language that can resolve the current disagreement over the implementation of a deal,” he said.

All parties were “continuing to work in the negotiations to reach a deal hopefully within the confines of Ramadan,” Ansari said.

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However, he clarified that the situation is still “very complicated on the ground” and that he is unable to “offer any timeline” on an agreement.

Ansari added that rather than a few-day ceasefire, Qatar is attempting to create a lasting peace in Gaza.

On October 7, a major and catastrophic attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas precipitated the start of the Gaza war. In the midst of horrifying murders, thousands of assailants broke through the border from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 253 more, taking them as prisoners back to Gaza.

In response, Israel launched a military operation to overthrow the Hamas government in Gaza, destroy the terrorist organization, and release the 130 hostages who are still being held captive—not all of them are alive.

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Although talks for a possible hostage agreement and temporary ceasefire have reached a standstill, mediators are still trying to move the process along, according to Hamas spokesperson Muhammad Nazzal.

Israel maintains that its objectives remain the destruction of Hamas and the release of all hostages, and that any ceasefire must only be short. The terrorist organization claims that it will only release the captives it has been holding since October 7 if a deal is reached to end the conflict.

In exchange for about 400 Palestinian security inmates, the first phase of the rumored draft of a six-week peace agreement—which Hamas has so far rejected—would see the release of 40 hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and sick. Additional releases might potentially be discussed.

A previous week-long truce in November, which witnessed the release of 105 hostages, the most of whom were women and children, was negotiated with Qatar’s assistance. In return, Israel released three times as many Palestinian prisoners.