Trump wants Gaza cease-fire in place before he takes office: Qatari premier

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) — Qatar's prime minister said Wednesday that US President-elect Donald Trump wants a cease-fire in Gaza before his upcoming inauguration on Jan. 20.

In an interview with Sky News, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani confirmed that Trump had clearly stated his intention to see Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave resolved before his swearing-in. "Yes, he made that clear," al-Thani said.

"We had heard this from his team, at least, as I recall the conversations that I had engaged with them, that they want this to be resolved now — today even," he said.

As a central figure in the negotiations, the Qatari prime minister said he prefers not to share many details in order to "protect this process as much as possible."

"We are trying our best. We've been doing our utmost," he said.

"All of us, we agree, and we are hoping to get over the situation before the President (Trump) comes to the office, because we have priorities to stabilize the situation. We have priorities in order to restore regional security," he added.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last October, killing more than 44,530 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,500.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

During his first term as president, before he was succeeded by current President Joe Biden, Trump took steps such as moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, angering Palestinians, who see occupied east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.