At least 8,005 Palestinians, including 3,195 children, have been killed by Israel since the regime declared war on October 7.

Qatar and Iran’s foreign ministers engaged in a fresh round of discussions about the ever-escalating Israeli war on Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 8,000.

In a telephone conversation on Sunday night, Qatar’s Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Hossein Amirabdollahian united in their appeal for an immediate cessation of Israel’s massacres against the Palestinian population in the besieged region.

The high-stakes call also emphasised the critical need for continuous humanitarian aid for the indigenous Palestinians.

Sheikh Mohammed “stressed to the Iranian Minister the need to work on an immediate ceasefire and the protection of civilians, as well as highlighting the risk of a spillover of violence and the conflict cycle in the region, which would have dire consequences,” Qatar’s Minisry of Foreign Affairs detailed in a statement.

The latest talks add to a series of discussions held by the two diplomats since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on October 7, Islamic Republic News Agency said.

Iran’s Amirabdollahian has been actively engaged in both telephone and in-person conversations with leaders from various countries, in line with Tehran’s commitment to supporting the people of Gaza, the agency added.

Over the weekend, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the pressing need for global solidarity during a phone call with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The leaders jointly underlined the significance of uniting Muslim countries in response to the ongoing criminal Israeli violence against Palestine, exploring practical avenues of support for the Palestinian people.

At least 8,005 Palestinians, including 3,195 children, have been killed by Israel since the regime declared war on October 7.

Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Raisi criticised the West, particularly the United States, for allowing Israel to persist in its crimes, which include massacres, water and electricity cutoffs, and obstruction to the delivery of essential supplies.

In response, Sheikh Tamim pointed out the double standards of Western policies and reaffirmed his nation’s unwavering support for the Palestinian right for self-determination and the right to self-defence, IRNA said.

During a speech last week, Sheikh Tamim slammed Israel’s “barbaric and unprecedented bombing” of Gaza and condemned countries around the world for their unconditional support of Israel’s killing of Palestinians.

“We are saying enough is enough. It is untenable for Israel to be given an unconditional green light and free license to kill, nor is it tenable to continue ignoring the reality of occupation, siege and settlement,” Sheikh Tamim told the Shura Council in Doha.

Qatar has been engaging in behind-the-scenes diplomacy for over three weeks, holding discussions with both Hamas officials to mediate and facilitate the release of over 200 captives currently held by the resistance group and other armed groups in Gaza.

The Gulf nation has built a solid reputation as a mediator over the years that has spearheaded the release of hostages and prisoners by world powers.

Just last week, Qatar’s mediation resulted in the release of two American hostages, a mother and daughter, as well as two other elderly Israeli women. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced intense pressure from the families of the captives, many of whom have demanded the regime accept a prisoner swap deal proposed by Hamas.

On Sunday, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman, Dr Majed Al Ansari told CNN that talks aimed at releasing captives as part of a possible prisoner exchange have not collapsed, though said the delicate situation requires a period of calm.

That came after Israel on Friday enforced a communications blackout in Gaza before launching its heaviest bombardment since the start of the weeks-long war, pushing the death toll beyond 8,000, nearly half of which children.

“This escalation makes it considerably more difficult,” Al Ansari stated in an interview with CNN.

“This escalation that is happening right now, one of the most terrible escalations that have happened in the region for a really long time is making it [the talks] certainly more difficult,” he said.

“On the logistical side of it, just moving people during a landing incursion and the increased bombardment, but also from a political side of course, mediation only works when you have calming periods. Under this kind of conflict, this kind of confrontation between both sides, it becomes more difficult but it is still ongoing and we can’t give up.”

 “We can’t give up on this on all sides. No body in the region can afford to give up on this and just leave it to the military people to decide what happens in the future,” Al Ansari noted.

Regional spillover

Meanwhile, a short clip appearing to show Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah walking past the group’s yellow and green flag has sparked speculations.

According to Al Mayadeen, Nasrallah is scheduled to speak on Friday for the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza erupted. The latest developments come amid a flare up in cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel.

On Monday, Israel’s military claimed that they targeted rocket launchers in Syria and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, responding to earlier rocket attacks on Israeli territory.

Tensions on the Lebanese border have escalated, with Hezbollah saying it has shot down an Israeli drone near Khiam, about 5 kilometres from the border with Israel, and was seen falling in Israeli territory.

Two security sources in Lebanon said it was the first time Hezbollah had announced downing an Israeli drone.

Hezbollah reported that at least 46 of their resistance fighters had been killed and 43 injured in the border clashes, while Israel’s military said seven dead.

The group’s rockets also managed to penetrate Israel’s Iron Dome, hitting a residential building in Kiriyat Shimona in northern Israel on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Palestine’s Islamic Jihad movement representative in Iran, Nasser Abu Sharif, spoke out at a gathering in Tehran to denounce the long-standing silence of the Islamic Ummah in the face of Israeli violence.

Similar sentiments were shared by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who also warned of regional escalation if Israel continues its war against Hamas, stressing that Muslims and resistance forces may take matters into their own hands.

However, in an interview with CNN, Amirabdollahian, stated that Iran was committed to preventing the war from spreading further, refuting accusations without evidence linking Tehran to the attacks on US forces.