In an interview with Israeli TV, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani revealed that the framework for the ongoing ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas had already been prepared in December 2023. He also shared fresh insights into the lengthy process leading up to the deal that was implemented last week.
For more than a year, Qatar, along with the US and Egypt, led efforts to broker a deal aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza, which erupted after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, and ensuring the release of the 251 hostages taken by terrorists from southern Israel that day.
The phased ceasefire that began last Sunday, resulting in the release of seven hostages — three female civilians and four female soldiers — is only the second agreement in the 15-month-long conflict, following the release of 105 hostages during a week-long truce in November 2023.
When asked by Channel 12 news in Paris about the delays in finalizing the deal, Al-Thani explained that the negotiations had been very challenging. “It took us almost 15 months of negotiations, since the collapse of the first deal,” he said. “We had a lot of ups and downs throughout the negotiations, it was a very complicated process.”
“We’ve been saying since the beginning, since October 8, that we need to get this done as soon as possible. We have been through a very long process that has at some times, at many times, been very frustrating for us as mediators,” he recalled.
In an interview with Channel 12’s Arad Nir, Al-Thani expressed his disappointment that the agreement took so long to finalize, despite the framework being settled back in December 2023. “What we really feel sad about is that it took [this long] to get to an agreement that we agreed on the framework of back in December 2023,” he said.
When asked if the agreement was the same as the one from December, Al-Thani said, “It’s almost the same,” while acknowledging some minor differences. “Everyone is saying it is the same agreement as May 27… The problem is that with every day we were delayed, we felt a sense of responsibility that [it] was costing a lot of lives, of the Gazans or of the hostages being held in Gaza.”
He emphasized that a lot of persistence and effort were required to bring the deal to completion.
When asked whether Hamas or Israel would benefit more from the deal, Al-Thani said that the mediators believed the final version of the deal effectively addressed the concerns of both sides. “The ideal agreement [for us would be] to stop the war and get all the hostages in one phase and we’d be finished,” he said.
Al-Thani was asked why the deal couldn’t have been structured in such a way, to which he attributed the delay to “political requirements,” though he did not provide further details.
He stated that the success of the second phase of the deal, which is set to be negotiated starting on the 16th day of the first phase, depends on both Israel and Hamas. He expressed hope that talks with Israel on phase two would begin next week. “I believe that it’s very important we keep this deal until the last phase, to get everyone back and end the war permanently,” he said.
Al-Thani also acknowledged the roles played by both the Biden and Trump administrations in the agreement, including the involvement of US President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. “The commitment of President Trump to end this was a very important element,” he said.
Asked about Trump’s strong rhetoric surrounding the deal, including threats of dire consequences if no agreement was reached, Al-Thani suggested that the real driving force was not threats, but rather “the commitment… toward a solution.”
Discussing the future of Hamas, Al-Thani argued that any discussion about the group must be framed within the broader context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “It needs to be addressed as a whole. The whole issue is to find a sustainable path toward peace and where we can see Israel and Palestinians living side by side peacefully together and giving every assurance that both people will be secure,” he said.
He reiterated Qatar’s support for the two-state solution as the only viable path forward. “Our region is not an easy region. It’s a very complex region. It’s turbulent, there are ancient wars, proxies, state actors, non-state actors and we’ve seen this go on and on,” Al-Thani said. “A two-state solution will be the only way forward [to have] a region that lives in peace together.”
Responding to concerns among many Israelis about the prospect of Hamas continuing to govern the Gaza Strip post-conflict, Al-Thani stated that the future of Gaza’s government should be determined by the Palestinians, but acknowledged Israel’s legitimate security concerns. “This is something we totally understand and will support,” he said.
The Qatari Prime Minister rejected accusations that Qatar is complicit in Hamas terrorism, explaining that Qatar’s role as a regional mediator necessitates maintaining communication with all parties. By hosting Hamas’s political leadership in Doha, he argued, Qatar had been able to “resolve conflict, to prevent conflicts from happening.”
Al-Thani also dismissed claims that Qatar funded Hamas’s terrorism, noting that financial transfers for humanitarian efforts were fully coordinated with and supported by Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu and the Israeli government. Since 2018, Qatar has provided millions of dollars in aid for fuel, civil servant salaries, and support for impoverished families in Gaza, although some critics claim Hamas has misappropriated these funds for its terrorist activities.
“When it comes to the criticism about Qatar and the propaganda around it, it’s unfortunate to see that our role, what we did for the good of the region and the stability of the region, being criticized by shortsighted people, politicians trying to exploit this for their own political advantage,” Al-Thani said.
“Those politicians criticizing our role — what did they do to bring them back?” he asked, referring to the hostages held by Hamas. “What did they do to ensure stability over there [in Gaza]? Besides talking and using us to score something politically.”
Asked about the possibility of Qatar establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel, Al-Thani responded cautiously, stating that any future steps would depend on the path forward. “It depends on [what] the way forward will be,” he said simply. “There are no conditions. We are talking about peaceful solutions, and whatever it takes to bring peace to the region, we will do it.”
{Matzav.com}