 "Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani attends a meeting with Hamas, Egyptian and Turkish delegations ahead of a Gaza ceasefire deal announcement, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Reuters")
As the Gaza peace plan cemented by US President Donald Trump takes its place, there is not full withdrawal of war and weapons.
Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Saturday said that the Gaza ceasefire has reached a “critical moment” as its first phase winds down, with the remains of one Israeli hostage still to be handed over by militants.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a conference in the Qatari capital that the conflict between both the nations has reduced but it could not be stated that there is no war escalation further possible.
“What we have just done is a pause,” he told the Doha Forum. “We cannot consider a ceasefire yet.”
No complete 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 further added as quoted by AP.
Immediate threat
Israel’s army said it wasn’t aware of an airstrike in that location. However, it said that Israeli soldiers on Saturday killed three militants who crossed the “yellow line” into Israeli-controlled northern part of Gaza and “posed an immediate threat."
“We are at a critical moment. It’s not yet there. So what we have just done is a pause,” al-Thani said.
The Israeli army has said it has carried out a number of attacks on Palestinians crossing the ceasefire line.
20-point peace plan
Under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, the fighting stopped and dozens of hostages held in Gaza were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prison.
Trump’s plan calls for an interim technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza, overseen by an international “board of peace” and backed by an international security force. Agreeing on the makeup and mandate of that force has been particularly challenging.
Arab and Western officials told The Associated Press on Friday that an international body overseeing the ceasefire, to be led by Trump himself, is expected to be appointed by the end of the year.
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View AllHe added: “It’s about Gaza. It’s about the West Bank. It’s about the rights of the Palestinians for their state. We are hoping that we can work together with the U.S. administration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.”
(With inputs from agencies)