DOHA, (PIC)
Qatar’s prime minister has said that progress is being made in negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners.
Sheikh Mohamed Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, made the remarks at an event in Washington on Monday.
He said a meeting in this regard was held in Paris over the weekend between intelligence officials from Egypt, Israel and the US to explore ways to secure a possible truce in the Israel-Hamas war.
However, the Qatari premier warned that the current Israeli escalation in Gaza might threaten his country’s efforts to achieve progress regarding the release of detainees.
Al Thani noted that his country is not “a superpower that can impose something on a party,” in response to earlier claims by Israeli premier Netanyahu that Qatar failed to use its leverage to pressure Hamas.
“We are using our good offices to connect, bridge gaps, to come up with some alternatives, and this way has worked,” Al Thani said.
Regarding finding a solution to the Palestinian question, he pointed out that Hamas was never an obstacle to the two-state solution, but Israel was always the obstacle.
In a related context, the Hamas Movement reiterated its position in this regard, saying that a prisoner exchange deal is contingent on ending the war on Gaza and withdrawing the Israeli occupation forces.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the success of the Paris meeting depends on the occupation’s willingness to stop its aggression against Gaza.
