Qatar PM sees ‘momentum’ on Gaza talks after US election

DOHA: Qatar’s prime minister said on Saturday momentum had returned to talks aimed at securing a truce and hostage exchange deal in Gaza following the election of Donald Trump as US president.

“We have sensed, after the election, that the momentum is coming back,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told the Doha Forum for political dialogue.

He spoke as a source close to the Hamas delegation in the talks told AFP that a new round of negotiations will “most likely” begin in the coming week.

Sheikh Mohammed said that while there were “some differences” in the approach to an agreement by the outgoing and incoming US administrations, “we didn’t see or recognise any disagreement on the goal itself to end the war”.

Israeli forces storm into Gaza hospital, expel some staff, displaced people, its director says

The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, had been involved in months of unsuccessful negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release after 14 months of war.

But in November, Doha announced it had put its mediation on hold, saying it would resume when Hamas and Israel showed “willingness and seriousness”.

Sheikh Mohammed said there had been “a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration to achieve a deal, even before the president comes to the office”, adding this had affected Qatar’s decision to get talks “back on track” over the past two weeks.

“We hope to get things done as soon as possible. We hope that the willingness of the parties to engage in a good faith continues,” he said.

The Hamas source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: “Based on contacts with the mediators, we expect a new round of negotiations to begin in Cairo, most likely this week, to discuss ideas and proposals regarding a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange.”

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 44,664 people, a majority of civilians, according to figures from the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry which the UN considers reliable.

The US president-elect this week warned on social media of unspecified massive repercussions if the hostages were not released by the time he takes office next month.

Trump has vowed his staunch support for Israel and promised to rein back on occasional criticism voiced by outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration.

On Saturday, Qatar’s premier dismissed the prospect of his country facing greater pressure over the status of its political bureau for Hamas.

Sheikh Mohammed called the Hamas office, which the Gulf state has hosted since 2012 with the blessing of the United States, a “platform to convene between the different parties”.

Qatar was not “expected to enforce solutions” on the Palestinian fighters, he added.