Qatar’s PM calls for ‘full implementation’ of Gaza ceasefire deal. Israel-Palestine conflict news

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Sheikh Mohammed shared details on the Gaza ceasefire talks and Syria talks.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has called for the full implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and said it is hoped the next phase will be the final one.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera on Friday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he now hoped “the (UN) Security Council will issue a binding resolution to implement the (cease-fire) agreement.”

On Wednesday, Qatar, Egypt and the United States announced that Hamas and Israel had reached a multi-phase agreement to end the war in Gaza and to replace Israeli detainees held in the Strip with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Mediators said the ceasefire in Gaza would take effect from Sunday. The first phase of the agreement spans seven weeks and will see an increase in humanitarian aid, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of Israeli detainees in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The second phase is expected to begin in March, provided the first phase goes smoothly according to Israel.

The Israeli Cabinet is expected to approve the ceasefire agreement later on Friday.

Al Jazeera’s Stephanie Decker, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said the Israeli government is holding a meeting to discuss the issue.

“The meeting was expected to be held on Saturday, but due to pressure from the mediators, it had to be held today,” he said.

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar and Egypt played an important role as mediators in the ceasefire talks. He said the joint work of members of the outgoing Biden administration and incoming President-elect Donald Trump’s team was decisive in reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

However he stressed that Qatar’s position is only that of mediator and said, “The administration of Gaza after the war is a Palestinian matter.”

Sheikh Mohammed also highlighted the importance of mobilizing international support for Gaza and establishing mechanisms to assist affected families.

“A humanitarian protocol has been agreed regarding arrangements for delivery of aid to prevent blackmail,” he said.

Ban ‘not logical’

In addition to negotiating a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Qatar is also focused on strengthening ties with Syria’s new de facto administration led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group has launched a crackdown on opposition attacks. led the coalition that overthrew Syria’s longtime ruler Bashar al- Assad last month.

Sheikh Mohammed met with al-Sharaa in Damascus on Thursday and called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria.

“We have been trying to lift sanctions since the first day of the fall of the (Assad) regime and we do not want Syria to fall,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“Sanctions were imposed on the Assad regime and are no longer rational. The new administration is not expected to address international concerns and work together to provide for its own people under sanctions,” he said.

Both the US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on al-Assad and his government over alleged crimes during the war, which began in 2011 after security forces cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Washington and Brussels have not yet taken any decision on their removal. Sanctions officials have begun to signal their interest in cooperating with the new Syrian administration.

Sheikh Mohammed also criticized Israeli moves to capture territory near the Golan Heights in southern Syria.

“We reject Israel’s reckless act of incursion into the buffer zone in Syria. We spoke to Ahmed al-Shara and confirmed Israel’s need
Withdrawals and incursions should not create a new reality,” he said.

Israel deployed military units last month to the buffer zone, which lies along the Golan Heights and separates Syria and Israel, following al-Assad’s overthrow. The area has been an officially designated demilitarized zone as part of a 1974 UN-brokered ceasefire.