Doha, Qatar – Qatar has resumed its role as a mediator in efforts to secure a truce in the Israel-Hamas war following a brief suspension, a source with knowledge of the talks said Thursday.
The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, had been involved in months of unsuccessful negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release after nearly 14 months of war.
In November, Doha announced it had put its mediation on hold, saying it would resume when Hamas and Israel showed “willingness and seriousness”.
The source, speaking to AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said that Qatar has now “returned to mediation”, without elaborating on recent meetings between officials.
The war has raged since Palestinian militant group Hamas staged the deadliest ever attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The attack resulted in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 44,580 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
During the October 7 attack, Palestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Scores of hostages were released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails during a one-week pause in fighting brokered by Qatar last year.
Since then, successive rounds of negotiations have made no headway.
Asked about efforts for a Gaza truce on Thursday, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Qatar was “an indispensable partner”, adding: “They continue to be so… in the context of working to find an end to this conflict.”
US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday warned on social media of unspecified massive repercussions if hostages are not released by the time he takes office next month.
Trump has vowed staunch support for Israel and promised to reign back on occasional criticism voiced by outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the president-elect on Tuesday for his “strong statement” on social media.