DOHA: Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza conflict, said on Tuesday that Palestinians – not outsiders – must decide the territory’s future after the Israel-Hamas war.
Foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a Doha news conference that the issue was “a Palestinian question”, after Israel insisted on removing Hamas and the United States proposed taking over the territory.
“From our perspective, this is a Palestinian question on what happens post this conflict,” said Ansari when asked about Israel’s stated objective to eliminate Hamas.
“It is a Palestinian question on who represents the Palestinians in an official capacity and also the political groups and parties in the political sphere,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said earlier Tuesday that negotiations for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which Qatar helped broker, would begin this week.
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The second phase of the truce is meant to facilitate the release of all remaining hostages seized and lead to a permanent end to the fighting.
Saar said Israel demanded the “complete demilitarisation of Gaza” and would “not accept the continued presence of Hamas or any other terrorist groups” in the territory, ruled by Hamas since 2007.
US President Donald Trump has proposed a takeover of the Gaza Strip, under which its 2.4 million inhabitants would be moved to Egypt or Jordan.
The plan has drawn widespread condemnation, with Arab states preparing a response.
Trump’s proposal has added strains to the fragile Gaza ceasefire, which has largely halted the violence since it took effect on January 19, after more than 15 months of war.
The ongoing first phase of the truce, which is set to expire on March 1, has so far seen the release of 19 Israeli hostages in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians in Israeli custody.
More hostage-prisoner exchanges are expected before the end of the first phase, which has also allowed humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza.
Hamas however has accused Israel of blocking the entry of prefabricated structures and heavy machinery to clear rubble.
Ansari, the Qatari spokesman, said that “the aid the enters the Gaza Strip today is insufficient”.
“Using humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip in negotiations is a crime in and of itself.”
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