Qatar says continuing efforts to reach Gaza truce deal

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

DOHA, Qatar (AA) – Qatar said Tuesday that efforts were still ongoing to reach a truce deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

“All of us were pushing towards a deal before the beginning of Ramadan, however, that didn’t deter us from continuing the work and negotiations to reach a deal,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told a media briefing.

Recent days saw marathon talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US to reach a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which started on Monday.

The talks, however, failed to make any breakthrough as Tel Aviv rejected demands by Hamas to end Israel’s deadly offensive on Gaza and withdraw from the enclave in return for any agreement.

Israel has waged a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which killed nearly 1,200 people. The offensive has killed around 31,200 Palestinians and injured over 72,900 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul