Israel deliberately obstructed efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lolwa Bint Rashid Al-Khater, has revealed.

Al-Khater said: “Despite the Qatari and Egyptian keenness to reach a ceasefire agreement, the closer the mediators’ efforts get to reaching an agreement, the more Israel is inflexible, obstructing the negotiations and the agreement process as a whole."

She also stressed that “Qatar and Egypt believe they will not allow Israel’s inflexibility to prevent them from continuing their efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement, with the aim of stopping the bloodshed of our Palestinian brothers and saving them from the tragic deteriorating situation as a result of the occupation.”
The Qatari minister noted that the Gaza Strip “is witnessing a difficult humanitarian and medical situation, which requires reaching an agreement to bring in medical and humanitarian aid as soon as possible.”
Earlier on Monday, Israeli media reported that there is an understanding in the Israeli Security Cabinet that Qatar has become the main mediator in reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas.
Haaretz newspaper quoted an Israeli official in the negotiating team saying that there is a need for flexibility in Israel’s position in order to resume negotiations, stressing that without that there will be no progress.
It stressed the need for the army to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor in order for the talks to have a better chance of success.
Qatar has played a pivotal role in the negotiations since 7 October and succeeded in November 2023 in reaching a deal under which hundreds of prisoners from both sides were released. However, Israel has blocked all efforts for reaching a permanent ceasefire since.