Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday that he welcomed the potential for “a dialogue” with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation.
Mediator Qatar gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal to end the war in Gaza on Monday, after a midnight "breakthrough" in talks attended by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's envoy, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.
Qatar has handed over drafts of a possible ceasefire agreement to both Hamas and Israel, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday, adding that this is the closest point to a deal over the past months.
Watch again as Qatar’s prime minister held a press conference on Wednesday (15 January) as Hamas accepted a ceasefire deal with Israel.
The cease-fire between Hamas and Israel is expected to go into effect on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced Saturday.
Qatar’s prime minister on Wednesday announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, pausing the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clearing the way for dozens of Israeli hostages to go home.
In a rare move hours after the cease-fire took effect, one senior Hamas official said the group wants to engage the new Trump administration.
For the Islamist militant group, armed struggle now looks like a dead end. Its future in Gaza depends on the civilian politburo.
Qatar’s foreign ministry says the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday.
The Hamas delegation in Doha issued a statement after a meeting with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani saying talks were progressing well. Biden's national security adviser, Jake ...
Israel and Hamas agreed to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, mediators announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies.