Doha. Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that the current situation in Gaza cannot be called ceasefire. For this, Israel will have to withdraw from the entire area. Al Thani said this during a discussion. Al Thani said US-led international mediators are working to pave the way for a second phase to cement a peace deal in Gaza. He described the peace process in Gaza as at a critical juncture.
According to media reports, Al Thani said that what we have done now is a pause. We cannot consider this as ceasefire yet. The ceasefire cannot be completed until Israeli forces completely withdraw from Gaza. There should be stability in Gaza, people should be able to come and go, which is not the case today. Let us tell you that at the beginning of the ceasefire under the American Peace Plan on October 10, Israel had withdrawn its army to a yellow line. This imaginary yellow line on the map roughly divides the Gaza Strip into eastern and western parts. Along with this, Israel was to be allowed to reopen the Rafah border crossing, but it postponed it for more than a month saying that Hamas would have to hand over the remains of the dead hostages left in Gaza.
Let us tell you that the ceasefire in October has stopped the fighting that has been going on for two years. However, both sides accuse each other of violations. The Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza says that more than 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli firing since the ceasefire came into force on October 10. In new violence, the hospital said two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike northwest of Gaza City. The Israeli military said it had no information about the airstrike on the site. However, it said Israeli troops on Saturday killed three militants who had crossed the Yellow Line into Israel-controlled northern Gaza.
