Qatari Foreign Ministry officials accuse the prime minister of seeking to prolong Israel’s war on Gaza.
Qatar criticized comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he said the Gulf state should do more to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and claimed the Palestinian group was financially dependent on Doha .
In a speech to American Jewish leaders on Sunday, Netanyahu said pressure should be brought to bear on Qatar, which played a key role in mediating the November truce and hostage prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas .
“Qatar can put pressure on Hamas like no one else. They welcome the leaders of Hamas. Hamas depends on them financially,” Netanyahu said. “I urge you to put pressure on Qatar to put pressure on Hamas because we want our hostages released.”
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said Doha “categorically rejects these empty accusations.”
“The Israeli Prime Minister’s recent statements calling on Qatar to pressure Hamas to release the (Israeli) hostages are nothing more than another attempt on his part to delay and prolong the war for reasons that have become clear to everyone,” he wrote. X Monday.
The recent statements by the Israeli Prime Minister calling on Qatar to pressure Hamas to release the hostages are nothing more than another attempt to block and prolong the war for reasons that have become obvious to everyone .
The Israeli Prime Minister knows very well that Qatar has been…
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) February 19, 2024
“We categorically reject the empty accusations made by the Israeli Prime Minister regarding Qatar’s efforts in reconstruction and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza, presenting them as financing of Hamas, which he personally knows are were carried out in full coordination with Israel, the United States, Egypt, the United Nations and all relevant parties,” Al-Ansari said.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said over the weekend that negotiations on a possible ceasefire were “not very promising”.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also foreign minister, said on Saturday he could not give details of the negotiations but, as with past agreements, there were two elements: the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the number of prisoners Palestinians to be released in exchange for liberation. Israeli captives.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to negotiate an end to fighting in Gaza and the release of captives, but there is a wide gap between Israel’s demands and those of Hamas. Qatar said Saturday that negotiations “have not progressed as planned.”
Hamas said it would not release the remaining hostages without Israel ending the war and withdrawing its forces from Gaza. It also demands the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including high-profile fighters.
Netanyahu has publicly rejected the demands and any scenario in which Hamas rebuilds its military and government capabilities. He said he sent a delegation to ceasefire talks in Cairo last week at the request of U.S. President Joe Biden, but saw no point in sending a team again.
In an interview with Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said that military pressure and maintaining a strict line in negotiations could cause Hamas to abandon its “absurd demands.” “.
Netanyahu also opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, which the United States sees as a key part of normalizing relations between Israel and regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
In December, Israel withdrew its Mossad negotiators from Qatar after an impasse in negotiations. Israel has accused Hamas of not respecting its commitments to extend the November truce in Gaza.