QATAR’S Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has warned that the Gaza ceasefire has reached a “critical moment” as the first phase draws to a close, with militants in Gaza still holding the remains of one Israeli hostage.
Speaking at the Doha Forum on Saturday, Sheikh Mohammed emphasised that the truce should not yet be considered a full ceasefire.
“What we have just done is a pause,” AP cited him saying. “We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire. A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today.”
While the truce has halted the heavy fighting of the two-year conflict, violence continues.
Gaza health authorities report that over 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect in October, and two more Palestinians were killed in a recent Israeli airstrike northwest of Gaza City, according to Shifa Hospital.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment, though it confirmed it has carried out strikes on Palestinians attempting to cross ceasefire lines into Israeli-controlled territory.
The first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which began on October 10, saw a cessation of fighting and the exchange of dozens of hostages held in Gaza for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Israel sent a delegation to Egypt last week to negotiate the return of the final hostage’s remains.
The plan’s second phase—which includes the deployment of an international security force in Gaza, the establishment of a new technocratic government, disarmament of Hamas, and eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces—has yet to begin.
Arab and Western officials told the Associated Press that an international body overseeing the ceasefire, to be led by Trump, is expected to be appointed by the end of the year. In the long term, the plan envisions a potential pathway to Palestinian independence.
Sheikh Mohammed stressed that even the next phase should be temporary and that lasting peace can only come with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state—a goal opposed by Israel’s hard-line government.
“If we are just resolving what happened in Gaza, the catastrophe that happened in the last two years, it’s not enough,” he said.
“There is a root for this conflict. And this conflict is not only about Gaza. It’s about Gaza. It’s about the West Bank. It’s about the rights of the Palestinians for their state. We are hoping that we can work together with the U.S. administration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.”
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also raised concerns about the formation of the international security force, noting uncertainties over participating countries, the command structure, and the force’s initial mission.
Türkiye, a guarantor of the ceasefire, has been rejected by Israel for participation due to strained bilateral relations. “Thousands of details, questions are in place,” Fidan said. “I think once we deploy ISF, the rest will come.”
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants entered Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages.
Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which reports that nearly half of the dead were women and children. Israel contends that Hamas has used civilians as human shields. - December 6, 2025
