New York, USA — Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has accused a “Palestinian party” of violating the Gaza ceasefire following the killing of an Israeli soldier in southern Rafah on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York, Sheikh Mohammed told interviewer Ayman Mohyeldin that the incident amounted to a clear breach of the ceasefire agreement, emphasizing that Hamas has denied any involvement but that “there is no verification if this is true or not.”
Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered what he described as “powerful” retaliatory strikes on Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry, the Israeli air raids killed 104 people, most of them women and children. Israel claimed its strikes targeted senior Hamas fighters and later announced it would resume the ceasefire by mid-Wednesday.
“We’ve been engaging intensively with both parties to ensure that the ceasefire holds,” Qatar’s Prime Minister said. “The US engagement was key in this effort. What happened on Tuesday was indeed a violation.”
Sheikh Mohammed revealed that there had been tensions regarding the transfer of bodies, saying Qatar made it clear to Hamas that fulfilling this commitment was essential.
Reflecting on the mediation challenges since October 7, the Qatari leader said:
“Throughout the process, we faced many obstacles. It hasn’t been an easy road. But we’ve worked tirelessly to secure the first ceasefire, then the second, and now hopefully one that will last.”
Describing the latest incident as “disappointing and frustrating,” Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar and the United States acted quickly to prevent escalation and reaffirm their commitment to the peace process.