
Qatar confirmed on Tuesday that the high-level Gaza ceasefire talks underway in Doha have reached the final stage. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al Ansari said, “However, until there is an official announcement, we should keep our curiosity low. Still, we are hopeful.”
The Qatari official said, “I can confirm that talks are taking place at a high level in Doha at the moment. We believe we are at an advanced stage, possibly even in the final stage.”
Ansari stressed that once the agreement is reached the ceasefire will happen ‘immediately’. “We don’t have any specific timeline, but efforts are on to finalize the agreement,” he said.
According to the report of Xinhua news agency, Ansari said that this is a good solution for the Palestinians. Israel’s state-owned Kan TV reported that the draft agreement under discussion outlines a three-phase plan.
The first phase involves a 42-day ceasefire, during which 33 hostages – (women, children, the elderly and people with health problems) will be released.
Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas, allowing displaced Gazans to return to their homes in northern Gaza. In addition, Israeli forces will vacate the Philadelphia Corridor on the Egyptian border and the Netzarim Corridor separating Gaza’s north and south.
The report said that by the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations will begin on the next steps, including the delivery of urgently needed aid to Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
In October 2023, 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in an attack by Hamas fighters. After this the Jewish nation started military operations in Gaza.
According to Palestinian health officials, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then. Much of the enclave has been ruined and most of the population displaced.