Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani expressed a bleak outlook on the prospects of achieving a Gaza ceasefire anytime soon, sharing his concerns in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
He leveled sharp criticism at Israel, accusing it of acting in bad faith by continuing military operations in Gaza even while participating in negotiations. Al-Thani said the simultaneous actions undermined the credibility of Israel’s involvement in talks held in Doha, calling it a “bad signal.”
Although he acknowledged the recent release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander as a promising step, he was quick to contrast it with Israel’s subsequent airstrikes. “Unfortunately Israel’s reaction to this was (bombing) the next day, while sending the delegation.”
Al-Thani went further, asserting that Israel was “basically sending the signal that (they) are not interested in negotiations,” indicating a disconnect between Israel’s stated goals and its military conduct.
Despite his criticism, the prime minister confirmed that Qatari negotiators were continuing to work with both sides. He said that while he remained hopeful, real progress might be a distant goal. “We hope to see some progress; I’m not sure if this progress will be something seen very soon with this continuing behavior,” he told CNN.
He ended his remarks by noting that the ultimate outcome hinges on the parties themselves: “At the end of the day the decision is in the hands of the parties.”
Al-Thani did not reference Hamas’s earlier refusal in March to accept a proposal from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, which called for a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages. Hamas declined to free any of the captives, effectively stalling the American-led initiative.
That refusal came even after Israel had agreed to the terms of Witkoff’s plan, which was meant to cover the duration of both Ramadan and Passover. Once the deal collapsed and a previous hostage agreement expired, Israel resumed its military operations targeting Hamas infrastructure in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Channel 12 reported Wednesday that Steve Witkoff has introduced a revised plan aimed at securing the release of hostages and ending the war — this time excluding Hamas from future governance.
The report cited Israeli officials who said, “Witkoff is personally invested in the efforts to secure the release of the hostages” and noted that “President Trump made it clear that no moves will be forced on Israel against its will.”
{Matzav.com}