Qatar and Egypt, mediators in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Palestinian territory and the deployment of an international force to fully implement the truce agreement, while accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire every day.

These two countries, along with The United States helped broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which came into effect on October 10 and has largely ended two years of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement. In the second phase of the agreement, which has not yet begun, Israel is to withdraw from its positions in the Palestinian territory. The creation of an interim authority and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) are also planned.

Qatar: Total truce not possible without Israeli withdrawal

“We are at a critical moment (…) A truce cannot be completed unless there is a total withdrawal of Israeli forces and stability is restored in Gaza,” declared Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Doha Forum, a diplomatic conference held annually in the capital of this Gulf state.

“We need to deploy this force on the ground as soon as possible because one of the parties, Israel, violates the ceasefire every day,” stated Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellatty.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who also participated in the forum, stated that talks on the force are ongoing and that there are still issues to be resolved regarding its command structure and the countries that They would contribute troops.

Turkey: Separating Palestinians from Israelis is a priority

But their first objective, Fidan said, “should be to separate the Palestinians from the Israelis.” “This should be our main objective,” he added.

Abdelatty seconded the idea and called for the force to be deployed along “the yellow line in order to verify and monitor” the truce.

Since the ceasefire came into effect, Israeli forces have fired on Palestinians in the vicinity of this line.

According to the 20-point plan initially presented by the United States, Hamas must surrender its weapons, but the group has repeatedly rejected it.

Hamas willing to surrender weapons “if the occupation ends”

However, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the EU, the United States, and other countries, declared this Saturday that it is willing to surrender its weapons to a Palestinian authority governing the territory, on the condition that the Israeli army's occupation ends.

“Our weapons are linked to the existence of the occupation and aggression,” said Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's chief negotiator, in a statement. responsible for the movement in Gaza. “If the occupation ends, these weapons will be placed under the authority of the State,” he added. When contacted by AFP, Hayya's office clarified that he was referring to a sovereign and independent Palestinian state. “We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza,” Hayya added, indicating his group's rejection of the deployment of an international force in the Strip whose mission would be to disarm it. For his part, Al Thani said that Qatar and the other guarantors of the truce—Turkey, Egypt, and the United States—are “working together to advance the next phase” of the agreement. Turkey indicated that it wants to participate in the stabilization force, but its efforts are viewed unfavorably in Israel, which considers Ankara to be too close to Hamas. In Doha, Fidan stated that the disarmament of Hamas should not be the top priority in Gaza. “Disarmament cannot be the first thing done in the process. We have to put things in their proper place, we have to be realistic,” he stated.

Deadly attacks continue in the Strip

This Saturday, at least 7 Palestinians died in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks, reported the platform responsible for compiling the daily death tolls recorded in hospitals across the Strip.

“Three dead in Beit Lahia, two dead in the Zeitoun neighborhood, and one martyr in Jablia. In addition, another person died from wounds sustained in the attacks,” details the Gaza Hospital Statistics Group regarding the 7 deaths, all in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave.