Sheikh Mohammed noted that Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. mediators are working to ensure that the ceasefire deal is adhered to be by Hamas and Israel.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has tapped into the Gaza Strip’s ceasefire deal and regional developments at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
Sheikh Mohammed led the Qatari delegation on Tuesday, where he spoke at a panel titled “Diplomacy amid Disorder” and a dialogue session with the President of the WEF, Borge Brende.
The senior Qatari official’s participation came amid a pivotal time for the Gulf state, following its successful mediation of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel last Wednesday.
In the first panel, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his hope that Hamas and Israel would adhere to their agreement, which came after more than a year of stalled negotiations..
“We hope that this will be a first step towards stability. Now, will it last or not, I think this question should be posed to the parties of the conflict, and they need to adhere to what they agreed upon,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“It [the ceasefire deal] showed us that everything can be resolved through talks, engagement and negotiations,” he added.
The ceasefire deal came into effect on Sunday, enabling the first captives-prisoners exchange.
Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners—predominantly women and children—from its jails after Hamas handed over three Israeli female captives on the same day.
Brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the deal stipulates that Hamas hand over 33 captives during the first phase, which will last 42 days. The captives will include children, those aged above 50, as well as the sick and wounded.
Israel will release 1,890 Palestinians from its jails during the same phase.
Sheikh Mohammed noted that the mediators are working to ensure that the deal is implemented by both sides.
“As a guarantor and as mediators in this agreement, we have to ensure that every step is implemented as it is agreed, but it all depends if they are embarking on this in good faith,” he explained.
‘Collapse of brutal regime’
The Qatari prime minister also spoke about some of the latest regional developments, namely the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad last December.
Qatar had closed its embassy in 2011 after Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests and was the first to establish the diplomatic mission for the opposition in its capital, Doha.
The Gulf state had maintained its unwavering stance against the Assad regime despite a wave of regional normalisation in 2023 that saw the Arab League reinstate Syria’s membership in the bloc.
“We have seen the collapse of a brutal regime that killed and displaced its own people,” Sheikh Mohammed said, pointing that Qatar could not accept “reintegrating war criminals” and granting them immunity.
“If we accept such a thing once, it will set a precedent for any leader to just go around and to kill his own people without being held accountable,” he added.