Israel has carried out demolitions and attacks in both Gaza and the West Bank as mediators push for phase two of Gaza ceasefire deal.
Qatar said on Tuesday that it hopes to move both Israel and Hamas into a new phase of Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Majed Al-Ansari stressed the urgency of advancing talks.
“We think that we should be pushing the parties to stage two very, very soon,” he said during the weekly press briefing, noting that the next stage would address critical issues.
Al-Ansari added that Qatar is closely monitoring implementation of the agreement and working to prevent its collapse.
He also confirmed that mediation efforts regarding the Gaza agreement are ongoing, and violations of the agreement are a cause for concern.
“We have confidence in the U.S. President’s plan and his role, as well as the role of the mediators,” he added.
Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt, succeeded in brokering a long-sought ceasefire in Gaza in October. However, the ceasefire remains fragile amid continuing violations by Israel.
Since the October 10, 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has violated the agreement nearly daily, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
Between October 10 and November 29, there were at least 591 attacks, including airstrikes, artillery fire and shootings.
Israel has also blocked humanitarian aid and destroyed homes and infrastructure. The situation on the ground in Gaza and the occupied West Bank remains volatile.
Under the first stage of the Gaza peace deal, originally proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Hamas were expected to hand over all 48 captives, including 20 who were still alive.
Only the remains of two captives, Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak, are still in Gaza. Hamas has been unable to recover the bodies, which are trapped beneath rubble from two years of continuous Israeli bombardment of the besieged enclave.
Israeli forces have carried out demolition and destruction of residential buildings behind the so-called ‘yellow line’ in the eastern areas of Gaza City, a zone where operations were not expected under the ceasefire terms.
Israeli army vehicles opened fire east of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on Tuesday, further heightening fears that the ceasefire could unravel.
Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza widely described as a genocide has killed at least 70,100 people and wounded 170,965 since October 2023.
The devastation in Gaza has left thousands of families searching through ruins for the bodies of their relatives, unable to access many areas due to continued operations and destruction.
