According to a statement, Qatar’s prime minister met with a Hamas delegation in Doha on Saturday to talk about a “clear and comprehensive” ceasefire agreement to halt the conflict in Gaza.
According to a statement from the foreign ministry, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met with a Hamas delegation headed by senior official Khalil al-Hayya.
Sheikh Mohammed is also Qatar’s foreign minister, and his public involvement in the mediation process, which has seemed to be at a standstill for months, is rare.
“During the meeting, the latest developments in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations were reviewed, and ways to advance the process were discussed to ensure a clear and comprehensive agreement that brings an end to the ongoing war in the region,” the statement said.
Earlier this month, the sheikh expressed optimism that “momentum” was returning to the talks following Donald Trump’s election victory in the United States.
“We have sensed, after the election, that the momentum is coming back,” he said at the Doha Forum political conference.
The incoming Trump administration had given “a lot of encouragement in order to achieve a deal, even before the president comes to the office”, the premier added.
The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, has been involved in months of unsuccessful negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release.
In November, Doha announced it had put its mediation on hold, saying that it would resume when Hamas and Israel showed “willingness and seriousness”.
But Doha then hosted indirect negotiations this month, with Hamas and Israel both reporting progress before again accusing each other of throwing up roadblocks.
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