Germany Qatar: Efforts to achieve ceasefire in Gaza falter

Efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by the Islamist Hamas have stalled, according to Qatar. The Gulf emirate's foreign ministry denied media reports that its role as mediator in the indirect negotiations between the parties to the conflict had come to an end. However, Qatar informed them ten days ago that the country would suspend its role as mediator if no agreement was reached in this round, explained Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Madschid Al-Ansari. In principle, Qatar is still prepared to make its contribution to reaching an agreement, he added.

"Qatar will continue these efforts with its partners if the parties show the will and seriousness to end the brutal war," he explained. It initially remained unclear whether Qatar's mediation efforts were currently on hold or whether talks were still ongoing.

The "Times of Israel" and international media had previously reported, citing diplomatic sources, that Doha was giving up its role as mediator in view of the "refusal of Israel and Hamas to negotiate with good will".

Since the beginning of the Gaza war more than a year ago, Qatar, together with the USA and Egypt, has helped to facilitate the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. In November 2023, more than 100 hostages were released from Hamas violence during a brief ceasefire. Since then, there have been numerous indirect negotiations between the warring parties about another possible ceasefire, including in the Qatari capital Doha, but no new breakthrough.

Observers suspect that Qatar is threatening to withdraw from its role as mediator in order to strengthen its power in the region and play the various sides off against each other.

Hamas has had an office in Doha since 2012

Qatar is considered an important mediator thanks to its relations with Hamas, which date back to the 1990s. In 2012, Hamas opened a political office in Qatar following the unrest of the Arab uprisings in the region. A lot of money had already flowed from Qatar to Hamas, which took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007. After Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war, calls for the Qatari government to close the office grew louder. The EU, the USA and Israel consider the Islamist Hamas to be a terrorist organization.

The Foreign Ministry has now also denied reports of an allegedly ordered closure of the Hamas office in Doha. "The main objective of the office in Qatar is to be a communication channel between the parties concerned," Al-Ansari said. In previous phases of the negotiations, the office had helped to achieve a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Seibert calls for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip

According to the German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, Germany will continue to do everything in its power to secure the release of around 100 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. For some Israeli politicians, the fate of the hostages is only one of the goals, and certainly not the most important one, the newspaper "Times of Israel" quoted him as saying.

On the 400th day of the brutal hostage-taking of 250 Israelis and members of other nationalities in the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, he felt deep sadness and helplessness, Seibert added during a speech in Tel Aviv. He spoke in Hebrew to thousands of participants in a demonstration for the release of the hostages.

It was the second time that the diplomat had spoken at a rally of relatives and friends of the hostages. He thinks of these abducted men, women and children in the hands of Hamas every day. "We demand their return," said Seibert. However, many of the hostages are probably no longer alive.

Dead and injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon

Meanwhile, fighting is also continuing on other fronts. The Israeli air force reportedly bombed Hezbollah militia facilities near the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon and near the city of Baalbek in the east of the country. The targets were terrorists, military housing and weapons depots. The military's information could not initially be independently verified - and contradicted the information provided by Lebanese authorities.

The Ministry of Health in Beirut announced that eight people had been killed in the Israeli attacks in the Tyros district, including six paramedics. A further twelve people were injured. This information could not be independently verified either.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israeli warplanes also attacked a Syrian army radar station in the south of the country. Heavy explosions were reportedly heard. Syrian air defenses did not attempt to defend themselves. There was initially no information about possible casualties.

SDA