Qatar to ‘Bridge the Gap’ to a Ceasefire

Madrid: Qatar said it was pursuing efforts to “bridge the gap” between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release Israeli hostages held there.

The Gulf emirate, the United States and Egypt, have been engaged in months of negotiations for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that erupted on October 7.

There has been one seven-day pause in November, which led to the release of more than 100 hostages. Efforts since have been deadlocked.

“We have continued our efforts without interruption over the last few days,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a news conference in Madrid with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares yesterday.

“There have been several meetings with the Hamas leadership to try to bridge the gap between the two parties and reach an agreement that will lead to a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages,” he added.

The talks are based on a plan US President Joe Biden laid out on May 31 calling for an Israeli withdrawal from “major population centres” in Gaza and a six-week ceasefire, which could be extended if negotiators need more time to seek a permanent deal.

“Efforts are continuing, but so far we have not reached a formula that we feel is the most appropriate and closest to what has been presented,” the Qatari prime minister said.

“As soon as this is done, we will communicate with the Israeli side to try to bridge the gap and reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” he added.

Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement that the Palestinian Islamist movement was open to “any document or initiative that ensures the foundations of the resistance’s position in ceasefire negotiations”.

Hamas has insisted on the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire before the release of all hostages sought by Israel. The Israeli government has rejected the demands.

Haniyeh said “the priority is to stop the criminal war on our people”. The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1194 people, mostly civilians.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 41 the army says are dead.

It comes as the International Committee of the Red Cross said 22 people were killed in a shell attack that damaged its Gaza office, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced persons living in tents.

The ICRC did not say who fired the “heavy calibre projectiles” but in a statement on social media platform X said the shells “damaged the structure of the ICRC office”.

It said 22 bodies and 45 wounded had been taken to a nearby Red Cross field hospital after the shelling, and there were “reports of additional casualties”.

The Hamas-run health ministry said there were 25 dead and 50 injured in the shelling, which it blamed on Israel. The ministry said Israeli shelling had “targeted the tents of the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area” which is around the ICRC base.

This week social media was showing videos, purporting to be taken by Hamas, showing its fighters firing on Israeli forces from inside the stairwells of civilian buildings, while wearing civilian clothing, before running away. Other videos showed Hamas fighters firing mortars from inside tents.

Referring to the ICRC incident, an Israeli Defence Force spokesman did not acknowledge any role in it but said it was “under review”.

“An initial inquiry conducted suggests that there is no indication that a strike was carried out by the IDF in the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. The incident is under review,” the spokesman said.

The ICRC said: “Heavy-calibre projectiles landed within metres of the office and residences of the International Committee of the Red Cross”.

“Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures, of whose locations the parties to the conflict are aware and which are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem, puts the lives of civilians and Red Cross staff at risk.

“This grave security incident is one of several in recent days,” it added.

The ICRC has made increasingly desperate calls for Israel and Hamas to respect international law and protect civilians caught in the midst of the ­conflict.