Sheikh Mohammed’s visit comes as Qatar continues to play a mediation role alongside the United States and Egypt in hopes of reaching a deal in the Gaza Strip that would result in a ceasefire and a captives release deal.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has praised Doha’s mediation role in Gaza during her meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, reiterating calls for a ceasefire in the besieged enclave.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, met Wong in Canberra on Tuesday as part of his trip to the country, which will be followed by a stopover in New Zealand.
He met other Australian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.
“I also express publicly our recognition of and our appreciation for the work that your country and you, yourself, have been playing in the negotiations for a ceasefire. This is a very hard task, but so important for increased humanitarian [access], the return of hostages and a ceasefire to protect civilians,” Wong told the press, as quoted by The Guardian Australia.
The Australian official added: “We know the situation in Gaza is catastrophic and the humanitarian situation is unacceptable. Not only the loss of life, but we now see the emergence of polio and it makes a ceasefire all the more important.”
In a post on X, Qatar’s top official said the discussions tapped into Doha and Canberra’s relations and positions in international peace and security issues, namely the ongoing Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.
“We discussed our partnerships in energy and economy, and our positions on international peace and security issues, specifically Gaza, reflecting our shared desire to advance our relations to broader horizons,” he said.
Sheikh Mohammed also told the press in Canberra that his visit came at “a critical moment” for the region while saying that he looked forward to discussing with Wong “recent developments” in the Middle East.
According to The Guardian Australia, the senior Qatari official also conveyed his condolences over the death of Australian aid worker, Zomi Frankcom, from the World Central Kitchen who was killed on April 1 in an Israeli airstrike alongside aid workers in the Gaza Strip.
Qatar had condemned the attack at the time and described it as “a shocking crime”.
“I would like to convey my condolences for the loss of the Australian citizen in the World Central Kitchen incident. Also we want to thank you for all your contribution to the Palestinian cause and to the Palestinian people,” he said.
An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad Verification Agency found that the Israeli attack was intentional, dismissing Israel’s claims that it was accidental.
However, on August 2, Australia said that Israel did not deliberately kill the aid workers following Special Adviser Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin’s report on the incident.
Sheikh Mohammed’s visit comes as Qatar continues to play a mediation role alongside the United States and Egypt in hopes of reaching a deal in the Gaza Strip that would result in a ceasefire and a captives release deal.
A new round of talks took place in Doha between Thursday and Friday after the leaders of the mediating countries issued a joint statement on August 8 urging Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement.
Israel persisted in its brutal onslaught against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip throughout the talks, killing at least 40,173 people while causing a humanitarian catastrophe.
On Sunday, Hamas called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for obstructing efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a captives release deal, noting that he placed “more conditions” in the latest round of negotiations in Doha.
Meanwhile, the prime ministers of Australia, New Zealand and Canada had issued a joint statement on July 26 calling for an immediate ceasefire while raising fear over further regional escalations.
“We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of Hamas for the atrocities of October 7 and ongoing acts of terror. Hamas must lay down its arms and release all hostages. We see no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza,” the statement said.
The three countries also called on Israel to “listen to the concerns of the international community” and that “Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas”.
