Qatar said on Saturday (Feb 17) that prospects for a new pause in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip were “not really promising.” At the Munich Security Conference, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said efforts for a ceasefire had been complicated by the insistence of “a lot of countries” that any new truce involve further releases of hostages.
“The pattern in the last few days is not really very promising,” Prime Minister Al-Thani added. His remarks came as Hamas threatened to suspend its involvement in talks unless relief supplies were brought into the north of Gaza. Speaking to the news agency AFP, a senior source from Hamas said, “Negotiations cannot be held while hunger is ravaging the Palestinian people.”
The Palestinian militant group’s demands include a complete pause in fighting, the release of Hamas prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the demands “ludicrous.”
‘We got nothing except for delusional demands’
On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had sent negotiators for truce talks in Cairo as requested by the United States but they did not go back for further talks because Hamas’ demands were “delusional.”
“We got nothing except for delusional demands from Hamas,” Netanyahu told reporters, adding, that Israel would not give in to “international dictates” regarding a statehood agreement with the Palestinians.
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He also said that Israeli representatives in Cairo sat and listened and there was no change. “I wanted to say not a millimetre – but there was not a nanometer of change.”
Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct 7 last year killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The militant group also took 253 people hostage, though more than 100 of them were freed in a short-lived November truce.
Responding to the Hamas attack, Israel launched an air and ground offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 28,000 people.
UN likely to vote on ceasefire soon
In other latest news from the war, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is likely to vote on Tuesday on an Algerian push for the 15-member body to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict.
Algeria put forward an initial draft resolution more than two weeks ago. However, the US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield quickly said the text could jeopardize “sensitive negotiations” aimed at brokering a pause in the war.
To be adopted, the UNSC resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the US, the United Kingdom (UK), France, China, or Russia.
