Qatari PM to join talks on Trump’s Gaza plan on Wednesday
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will join the negotiations on Trump’s Gaza proposal in Egypt on Wednesday.
The Qatari prime minister is travelling to Sharm el-Sheikh to meet with other mediators – including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for the US – “with the aim of pushing forward the Gaza ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement”, Foreign Ministry official Majed al-Ansari said.
Mohammed’s “participation confirms the mediators’ determination to reach an agreement that ends the war”, al-Ansari told Al Jazeera.
‘No guarantee with American guarantees’ for Gaza ceasefire
It’s certainly good news the Qataris are joining the Gaza talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, either because things are not going well and they’re coming to intervene or they’re intervening because things are on track and hence they want to push it the last mile.
Clearly, things are moving in the right direction, and I think the presence of the Qataris, Egyptians, Turks certainly helps even the scales somewhat. Judging from President Trump’s consistent optimism, something is going on, and that’s why the American delegation is going.
There are no ways to get true guarantees from Trump. The Israelis don’t want maps showing their withdrawal plan, but they’re going to have to now that the Qataris and Turks will be insisting.
Most importantly, once all the captives are released, what guarantees do the Palestinians have that their demands are met? They’re trying to get some form of guarantees.
However, there is no guarantee with American guarantees because they’re Israel’s lawyers in these negotiations. They are Israel’s allies who are trying to negotiate Hamas’s surrender conditions.
Hamas seeking release of prominent Palestinian Marwan Barghouti
Hamas is demanding the release of high-profile Palestinian inmate Marwan Barghouti from an Israeli jail as part of ongoing negotiations on a hostage-prisoner exchange, Egyptian state-linked media report.
Al-Qahera News, which is close to Egypt’s intelligence services, reported talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh are focusing on lists of Palestinian inmates to be freed by Israel under a potential ceasefire deal.
Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party and imprisoned since 2002, is among several high-profile detainees whose release is being sought by Hamas. Other names mentioned include Ahmad Saadat, Hassan Salameh, and Abbas al-Sayed.
Indirect talks have been under way since Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh as part of a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in 2023
