Qatari Foreign Ministry: Mediators' meeting in Doha to end war on Gaza continues and will resume on Friday

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari announced that the mediators' meeting to end the war on Gaza, which was held yesterday, Thursday, in Doha, is ongoing and will resume today, Friday.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman added in a statement that the efforts of mediators in Qatar, Egypt and the United States of America are continuing.

Al-Ansari also stressed that the mediators are determined to continue their efforts “to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, release the hostages, and allow the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid into the Strip.”

The spokesman referred to the statement issued on August 8 by the leaders of the three mediating countries, calling for an end to the long-standing suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip, as well as the hostages and their families, and for a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages and detainees, based on the principles put forward by US President Joe Biden on May 31, 2024, which were supported by Security Council Resolution 2735.

In the same context, the US President said that the Doha talks are ongoing, confirming during his response to journalists’ questions at the White House that he had made a phone call in this regard. Biden added that the (Islamic Resistance Movement) Hamas is represented in the Doha talks through Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Reuters quoted an American official as saying that the mediators concluded a constructive day of discussions on Gaza in Doha and that the talks will continue on Friday.

For his part, White House National Security Advisor John Kirby said that the start of the talks in Doha regarding the ceasefire in Gaza was promising.

Kirby said the two sides had reviewed the proposed agreement on Gaza, made changes to it, and were discussing the details of its implementation, not the framework.

On the Israeli side, Walla quoted senior military officials as saying that the Doha talks are the last chance to reach an agreement on Gaza.

These statements come in conjunction with what was reported by the American newspaper “Washington Post”, quoting American and Israeli officials, confirming the impossibility of recovering the prisoners held in Gaza by military means.

Earlier on Thursday, “decisive” talks began in Doha to reach a prisoner exchange agreement and a ceasefire in Gaza.

The talks, which are being held behind closed doors in response to a joint statement issued by the leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar last week, include CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel and Israeli Mossad Director David Barnea.

Hamas leader Suhail al-Hindi confirmed on Tuesday evening that his movement would not be part of these talks. In a later statement, the movement and other Palestinian factions demanded that Tel Aviv be bound by what was previously agreed upon during previous talks in July, based on US President Joe Biden’s proposal.