Qatar has reported “a bit of progress” in efforts to negotiate a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, even as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens. The United Nations, meanwhile, has urgently called for Israel to lift its complete blockade on the Palestinian territory to prevent mass starvation.
Talks Intensify Amid Humanitarian Catastrophe
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced the developments after meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha on Sunday. “We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings, yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war,” Sheikh Mohammed said at a joint news conference.
Media reports indicated that David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, traveled to Doha last week to meet with Qatari officials in a renewed push for a ceasefire. However, Sheikh Mohammed acknowledged that significant differences remain between Israel and Hamas regarding the overall objectives of the negotiations.
Mediator Qatar has been attempting to revive talks after a previous truce collapsed on March 18, when Israel resumed military operations following the imposition of a total siege on Gaza. Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, describing them as “ethnic cleansing” and a violation of international law. “Humanitarian aid hasn’t reached Gaza in two months. It is a humanitarian crisis being watched by the entire world,” Fidan warned.
UN Urges Immediate Lifting of Siege
The United Nations issued a stark warning over the weekend that Palestinians in Gaza face imminent famine. The World Food Programme reported that its warehouses across the territory have been completely depleted, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) called for an immediate end to the blockade.
“The siege must be lifted,” UNRWA stated on Sunday. “The people in Gaza have been plunged into a cycle of deadly violence and deprivation.” In an earlier statement, UNRWA emphasized that nothing can justify the collective punishment of an entire population.
Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza, accused Israel of “weaponising” aid by denying it to displaced civilians. “Today, people are not surviving in Gaza. Those that aren’t being killed with bombs and bullets are slowly dying,” Whittall said. “Humanitarian aid should never be weaponised.”
Ongoing Assault Claims More Lives
Even as ceasefire talks continue, Israel’s airstrikes and ground operations intensified over the weekend. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, described the Israeli attacks as “devastating,” noting that heavily built-up neighborhoods are being overwhelmed by the onslaught.
At least 52,243 Palestinians have been killed and 117,639 wounded since Israel’s military campaign began 18 months ago, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. In Israel, approximately 1,139 people were killed and over 200 taken captive during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Despite mounting international pressure for a ceasefire and humanitarian relief, both Israel and Hamas appear entrenched in a prolonged war of attrition, with no immediate end in sight.
