Both countries have been diplomatically working alongside the United States in an effort to reach a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Qatar and Egypt have discussed the latest developments in their joint mediation efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, amid Israel’s intensifying aggression.
The talks were held on Tuesday during a phone call between Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
“The meeting dealt with discussing bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the means to enhance it, developments of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the mediation efforts aimed to reach an immediate ceasefire,” the Qatari foreign ministry said in a readout on the call.
Both sides also discussed the need for “unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to all of the [Gaza] Strip’s areas” in addition to “developments in Lebanon, particularly ceasefire efforts”, the foreign ministry added.
Qatar and Egypt have been diplomatically working alongside the United States in an effort to reach a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a deal that would see the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas.
The talks have been stalled since the expiration of last year’s week-long truce in December, which resulted in the release of 109 captives out of some 240 taken during the surprise October 7 attack by Hamas—widely known as Al-Aqsa Flood.
About 97 captives are still in Gaza, including 34 who are believed to be dead, according to AFP.
Doha and Cairo had hosted talks last week where representatives from the U.S. and Israel were in attendance, without yielding new results as Israeli forces continued bombarding the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
However, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday that progress was made in the latest round of talks in Doha, noting that communications with all parties are ongoing.
Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri told the press on Tuesday that the movement has expressed its openness to any new agreements or ideas that would result in a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this week, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he proposed a two-day truce that would release four Israeli captives in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
The proposal stipulated that talks would resume within 10 days of implementing the deal in an effort to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied receiving the Egyptian proposal on Tuesday.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Likud Knesset faction today that Israel has not received a proposal for the release of four hostages in return for a 48-hour ceasefire in Gaza. If such a proposal had been raised, the PM would have accepted it immediately,” the statement said.
Israel has been insisting on continuing the war on the Gaza Strip, where it has killed more than 43,000 Palestinains while causing a catastrophic humanitarian situation. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher as thousands remain missing or buried under the rubble.
Some of the key sticking points throughout the negotiations include Israel’s refusal to end the war and fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Israeli aggression on neighbouring Lebanon has only intensified, killing at least 2,792 people since October 8, 2023, according to the latest Lebanese government figures.
