Qatar and Egypt urge Israeli withdrawal to secure next step in Gaza peace deal | Gaza

Qatar and Egypt, guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called on Saturday for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilization force as necessary next steps for the full implementation of the fragile agreement.

Although the warring parties have not yet agreed on how to proceed from the first phase of the agreement, the measures were spelled out in the US and UN-backed peace plan and the war has largely been stopped.

His first steps required the withdrawal of Israeli troops behind the “yellow line” within Gaza’s borders; Palestinian militant group Hamas released the living hostages it still held and handed over the remains of all but one of the dead.

Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference: “We are now at a critical moment… The ceasefire cannot be completed unless Israeli forces are fully withdrawn (and) stability is achieved in Gaza.”

Qatar helped broker a long-elusive ceasefire that remains fragile as Israel and Hamas, along with Egypt and the United States, accuse each other of violating the terms of the deal.

Key sticking points have also emerged over the implementation of the second phase, which has not yet begun, including the issue of disarmament of Hamas.

Hamas is expected to be disarmed under the 20-point plan first outlined by US President Donald Trump, which includes allowing members who lay down their weapons to leave Gaza. The group repeatedly rejected this offer.

Hamas said on Saturday that it was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian authority on the condition that the Israeli army’s occupation ends.

“Our weapons are linked to the existence of occupation and aggression,” Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement.

“If the occupation ends, these weapons will be given to the state,” he said.

Under the plan approved by the UN in November, Israel will withdraw from its positions, Gaza will be governed by an interim governing body known as the “Peace Board” and an international stabilization force will be deployed.

“We need to deploy this force to the field as soon as possible because one side, Israel, violates the ceasefire every day,” Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty said in his speech at the Doha Forum. he said.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said Abdelatty and Sheikh Mohammed met on Saturday and both stressed “the importance of continuing efforts to implement” the peace deal.

But Arab and Muslim countries are hesitant to join the new force, which could result in fighting Palestinian militants.

Trump will theoretically chair the “Peace Board”, but the identities of the other members have not yet been disclosed.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that negotiations regarding the stabilization force continue at the forum and that critical questions continue about the command structure and which countries will contribute.

Fidan said that his first goal “should be to separate the Palestinians from the Israelis.”

Abdelatty also supported the idea and called for the force to be deployed along the “yellow line” to verify and monitor the ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire came into force, there have been many fatal incidents in which Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians near the yellow line.

Türkiye, the guarantor of the ceasefire, has stated that it wants to take part in the stabilization force, but these efforts are negatively received in Israel.

Fidan said disarmament of Hamas should not be the main priority in Gaza.

“We have to put everything in the right order, we have to be realistic,” he said at the forum.

He also called on the US to intervene with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the plan’s success.

“If they don’t intervene, I’m afraid the plan risks failing,” Fidan said.

“The amount of daily ceasefire violations by the Israelis is now indescribable, and all indicators suggest that stopping the process is a huge risk.”

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar and other ceasefire guarantors were “coming together to push the way forward to the next phase” of the agreement.

“And this next phase is also temporary from our perspective,” he said, calling for “a permanent solution that will ensure justice for both peoples.”

The ceasefire plan calls for reopening the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt to allow aid.

Israel said it would open the checkpoint, but “only for Gaza Strip residents exiting to Egypt.”

Egypt immediately denied agreeing to such a move and insisted that the crossing be opened in both directions.

Israel’s announcement prompted concerns from many Muslim-majority countries, who said they opposed “any attempt to expel the Palestinian people from their land.”

Abdelatty said on Saturday that Rafah “will not be a gateway for displacement” but merely an entry point for aid.