Qatar says no 'clear position' from Israel on Gaza truce deal

DOHA — Mediator Qatar said on Tuesday it was waiting for a "clear position" from Israel on a proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden.

"We have yet to see a very clear position from the Israeli government towards the principles laid out by President Biden," Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said, adding there was no "concrete approval" from either side.

"We have read and seen the contradictory statements coming in from Israeli ministers, which doesn't give us much confidence of there being a unified position in Israel over this current proposal on the table," he said.

The Palestinian movement Hamas had also yet to give a firm response, the official added.

"We haven't seen any statements on both sides that give us a lot of confidence," he added, noting however that the process was ongoing and that "we have been working with both sides on proposals on the table".

The official later said Doha had received an "Israeli proposal which reflects the positions stated by President Biden" and is "much closer" to meeting conditions of both Israel and Hamas.

"We have delivered the proposal to the Hamas side," Ansari said, adding that Qatar is making its "best efforts to finalise an agreement".

Qatar, with the United States and Egypt, has been engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations over details for a ceasefire and exchange of hostages and prisoners.

But with the exception of a seven-day break in fighting from November that led to the release of more than 100 hostages, the mediation efforts have not stopped the fighting.

In an effort to reinvigorate talks, Biden said on Friday that Israel was offering a new three-stage roadmap.

According to the US president, Israel’s offer would begin with a six-week phase that would see its forces withdraw from populated areas of Gaza and an initial hostage-prisoner exchange.

The parties would then negotiate for a lasting ceasefire, with the truce to continue as long as talks are ongoing.

In its final phase, the plan would lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in power, Biden said.

Ansari said “there is momentum internationally, driven by the US... but we need to be very cautious”.

“We are using our leverage as a mediator... to make sure that both sides understand the gravity of the situation and the need to reach an agreement.”

The US president and Qatar’s ruler spoke on Monday when, according to the White House, Biden told the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that Hamas was the only obstacle to a Gaza ceasefire deal and urged him to press the group to accept it.

Negotiations ground to a halt in early May as Israel began ground operations in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Previous frameworks presented by mediators have run aground over Hamas demand that any truce lead to a permanent ceasefire, while Israel has said it must be allowed to pursue its war aim of destroying the Palestinian militant group.

Meanwhile, two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition said on Tuesday that they support the Gaza ceasefire proposal announced by US President Joe Biden.

But on Tuesday, the largest partner in the alliance, Shas, said it backed the proposal which would facilitate the return of hostages still held in Gaza since October 7 when Hamas militants attacked Israel.

“Shas supports the proposal and encourages the prime minister and the war Cabinet to resist all pressures, conclude this agreement and save the lives of many of our brothers and sisters,” said the party that has 11 seats in the 120-member parliament.

Yitzhak Goldknopf, leader of the other ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism, which has seven seats, said on X that he had told the hostage families “that we will support any proposal that leads to the release of the hostages”.