Qatar and Egypt Push for Full Implementation of Gaza Ceasefire Plan
Qatar and Egypt, who helped make the Gaza ceasefire happen, urged Israel to pull back its troops and send in an international team to keep things stable. These steps are part of the plan to fully carry out the fragile agreement.
The peace deal, supported by the US and UN, has basically stopped the fighting.
But the two sides haven’t agreed on what to do next. The first part of the plan asked Israel to move its troops behind the “yellow line” in Gaza, while Hamas had to release the hostages it still had and give back the bodies of those who died.
Qatar’s leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said that the ceasefire can’t be complete unless Israel fully leaves and there is peace in Gaza.
He spoke at the Doha Forum.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, helped get this long-sought truce.
But the peace is still very fragile, with both groups accusing each other of breaking the rules.
There are problems with the second phase of the plan, especially about getting Hamas to give up its weapons.
The US originally suggested this, with the idea that members who stop fighting could leave Gaza. Hamas has refused to do this.
On Saturday, Hamas said it was ready to hand over its weapons to the Palestinian government, but only if the Israeli occupation ends.
Its chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said their weapons are connected to the occupation and the fighting. He added that if the occupation ends, the weapons would go under the control of the Palestinian state.
The agreement, backed by the UN in November, said Israel should pull back, Gaza should be run by a peace board, and an international team should be sent in.
Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, said the international force should be sent in quickly because Israel is breaking the truce every day.
Abdelatty and Sheikh Mohammed met on Saturday and both stressed the need to carry out the plan.
However, some Arab and Muslim countries are not sure about joining the force, as it might end up fighting Palestinian groups.
Trump would lead the “Board of Peace” if the plan goes through, but who else will be on it hasn’t been decided.
Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt Urge US to Reinforce Ceasefire Efforts
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said talks on the force are going on, but there are still big questions about who leads it and which countries will join.
Fidan said the main goal of the force should be to separate Israelis and Palestinians.
Abdelatty agreed, saying the force should be placed along the yellow line to monitor the ceasefire.
There have been many deadly incidents where Israeli forces have fired at Palestinians near the yellow line since the ceasefire started.
Turkey, which also helped secure the truce, wants to join the force, but its plan is not welcomed by Israel.
Fidan said Hamas’s disarmament isn’t the main issue right now.
He said they need to focus on getting things in order and be realistic.
He also urged the US to speak with Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, to keep the plan moving.
Fidan warned that if the US doesn’t help, there’s a big risk the plan will fail.
He said the daily violations of the ceasefire by Israel are very bad and could stop the whole process.
Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar and the other truce guarantors are working together to move forward with the next phase.
He said this next step is temporary and called for a lasting solution that is fair for both sides.
The ceasefire plan also calls for the Rafah crossing with Egypt to be opened for aid.
Israel said it would open the checkpoint, but only for people leaving Gaza to Egypt.
Egypt quickly denied agreeing to this, saying the crossing should be open for both ways.
Israel’s plan raised concerns from several Muslim-majority countries, who said they oppose any effort to move Palestinians out of their land.
Abdelatty said on Saturday that Rafah will not be a place for people to be displaced, only for aid to come in.