Qatar says its Gaza ceasefire mediation efforts 'currently stalled'

Qatar's foreign ministry said on Saturday that its efforts in mediating a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas were "currently stalled."

The Gulf state's efforts to broker a deal will resume when "the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war," the foreign ministry added.

But the talks, also mediated by Cairo and Washington, have repeatedly hit snags since a one-week truce in November 2023 — the only one so far — with both sides trading blame for the impasse.

"The Qataris informed both the Israelis and Hamas that as long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith, they cannot continue to mediate," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The Qataris conveyed to the US administration that they would be ready to re-engage in mediation when both sides... demonstrate a sincere willingness to return to the negotiating table," the source added. 

With Gaza truce talks at a deadlock, the Hamas political office in Doha "no longer serves its purpose," said the source, without specifying whether Qatar intends to ask leaders of the Palestinian group to leave the country.

During talks over the past year, both Qatari and US officials indicated that Hamas would remain in Doha as long as its presence offered a viable channel of communication. A senior Hamas official in Doha told AFP that "we have not received any request to leave Qatar."

Agencies