‘We shouldn’t be over-excited’: Qatar foreign ministry on Gaza ceasefire negotiations

Qatar's foreign ministry reports ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are nearing completion, with hopes for a swift agreement.

Discussions for a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement on the release of captives are in the “final stages” in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed.

The "final stages" of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement on the release of prisoners are underway in Doha.(REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

“We do believe that we are at the final stages… certainly, we are hopeful that this would lead very soon to an agreement,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a news conference, adding, “until there is an announcement… we shouldn’t be over-excited about what’s happening right now."

“During the past months, there were underlying issues, major issues between the two parties unresolved. These issues were resolved during the talks in the past couple of weeks, and therefore we have reached a point where the major issues that were preventing a deal from happening were addressed,” he added.

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Days before his successor, Donald Trump, takes office, US President Joe Biden declared Monday that a deal was "on the brink" of being concluded, as reported by Al Jazeera

Majed al-Ansari said that the ceasefire would be implemented “immediately” when an agreement is reached.

According to an AFP count of official Israeli data, 1,210 persons, primarily civilians, were killed in the bloodiest attack in Israel's history, which was carried out by Hamas on October 7.

The Israeli military claims that 34 of the 251 hostages that terrorists grabbed that day are dead, while 94 are still being held captive in Gaza.

According to the UN-reliable health ministry in the Hamas-controlled area, Israel's military attack in Gaza has killed 46,645 individuals, the bulk of whom were civilians.

A source briefed on the Doha negotiations said earlier the heads of Israel's intelligence agencies, the Middle East envoys for the incoming and outgoing US administrations and Qatar's prime minister had been due at the talks.

"Mediators will hold separate talks with Hamas," the source said.

Truce Strategy

A three-stage strategy is outlined in the draft agreement under consideration:

• 33 hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and those with medical concerns, would be released during the 42-day truce that is part of the first stage.
• Displaced Gazans would be able to return to their homes in northern Gaza as the Israeli force would leave heavily populated regions.
• Israeli soldiers would also withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor, which divides the north and south of Gaza, and the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Egyptian border, as reported by The Times of Israel.
• Israel will free over 1,000 Palestinian detainees in exchange, reported by AFP.
• Several hundred terrorists will be released as part of the initial phase of the agreement.
• On Tuesday Israel would be permitted to keep a buffer zone within Gaza while the first part of the agreement was being implemented.

The worst conflict in Gaza's history has not been resolved despite many rounds of negotiations.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated on Monday that a ceasefire agreement may be reached this week.

“I'm not making a promise or prediction, but it is there for the taking and we are going to work to make it happen,” he said.

However, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, issued a warning on Monday that he would reject any agreement that halted the war.

Smotrich, a vocal opponent of stopping the war in Gaza, is a member of the current coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Points of Contention

Disagreements over the duration of any truce and the amount of humanitarian supplies for the Palestinian area have been two of the main grounds of contention in the negotiations.

The repatriation of displaced Gazans to their homes, the evacuation of Israeli forces from Palestinian land, and the reopening of border crossings are other grounds of disagreement.

Netanyahu has been adamantly opposed to any Palestinian rule over Gaza and has refused the complete evacuation of Israeli forces from the region.

Israeli soldiers bombarded locations around Gaza while urgent diplomatic efforts to reach a truce agreement persisted.

At least 18 people were killed by nighttime airstrikes and shelling in Gaza City in the north, the central Deir el-Balah area, and Khan Yunis in the south, according to the territory's civil defence service.

The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas militants.

The IAF (air force) carried out multiple attacks against Hamas terrorists engaged in terrorist activities throughout the course of the night under the guidance of IDF (army) intelligence, reported AFP.

The health ministry in Gaza said 61 people were killed in the Palestinian territory over the past 24 hours.