At the Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi emphasised Qatar’s commitment to mediation in conflicts, despite challenges posed by Israel’s aggression in Rafah.

During a one-to-one session at the Global Security Forum in Doha, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi stressed his country’s staunch position on the importance of mediation during the conflict.

When asked by the moderator about Hamas’ presence in Qatar, Al Khulaifi reminded the moderator that Qatar’s focus is on “today”.

In April, following claims from the Wall Street Journal that the resistance movement’s political leadership were “looking to move from its current base in Qatar,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari asserted that “as long as their presence here in Doha, as we have always said, is useful and positive in this mediation effort, they will remain here.”

Meanwhile, the security forum said that “there are a lot of points on our agenda… One of which is the mediation effort.”

Earlier during the Qatar Economic Forum, Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said that the negotiation process had hit a “stalemate” due to Israel’s intensified aggression in Rafah.

Echoing Sheikh Mohammed’s position, Minister Al Khulaifi alluded to the violent occupier’s military operations in Rafah as slowing momentum in the mediation process.

“In spite of those challenges, we remain committed… and engage with our parties as much as we can,” he added.

The Qatari official also discussed the importance of negotiations to de-escalate previous inter-Gulf Cooperation Council disputes.

He described the Qatar diplomatic crisis from 2017 to 2021 as a “difficult period” for his country and the region as a whole. He added that gathering all parties at the negotiation table was necessary for resolving the dispute – “that’s what happened [with] the Al Ula agreement.”

In January 2021, after a 43-month-long blockade on Qatar, Gulf leaders converged in Saudi Arabia to sign the Al Ula declaration which ushered an end to the diplomatic strife.