'Until last minute': Qatar says US election results won't impact Gaza ceasefire talks

Qatari foreign ministry on Tuesday said that it will work with US President Joe Biden’s administration “until the last minute” before the Presidential election to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal and said it did not foresee any negative result of the elections on the mediation process.

“We don’t foresee any negative result of the elections on the mediation process itself. We believe that we are dealing with institutions, and in a country like the United States, the institutions are invested in finding a resolution to this crisis,” Reuters quoted ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari as saying at a press conference.

Israel’s Mossad spy chief and the CIA director had recently attended talks in the Qatari capital, Doha the first high-level talks since ceasefire efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza broke down in August.

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David Barnea and William Burns were joined by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in efforts to revive talks after the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar on October 16.

Families of Israeli captives are intensifying pressure on the government to negotiate a deal for their release. Nearly 100 captives remain in Gaza as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected negotiations and escalated military operations. He has faced months of protests calling for a resolution to bring the captives home.

On Sunday, Israeli protesters disrupted Netanyahu during a speech at a memorial for the victims of the October 7, 2023, attacks, shouting “shame on you.” Those attacks, carried out by Hamas, resulted in the deaths of at least 1,100 people.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office said in a statement on X that the Mossad chief had returned from the talks.

“In the coming days, discussions will continue between the mediators and Hamas to assess the feasibility of talks and to further efforts to promote a deal,” the PMO said in a statement on Monday.

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The Qatari prime minister said his country has recently “re-engaged” with Hamas leaders in Doha following the death of Sinwar. In July, Israel also killed Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s main negotiator, while he was visiting Tehran.

Truce negotiations have repeatedly faltered over more than a year of conflict, which has resulted in nearly 43,000 Palestinian deaths.

Hamas is seeking a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces as part of any agreement. In contrast, Netanyahu insists on maintaining military control over parts of Gaza.

With inputs from agencies