Sheikh Mohammed noted that there are fundamental differences between Hamas and Israel.

The ceasefire talks have stalled following Israel’s invasion of the densely-populated city of Rafah in Gaza, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a panel at the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) in Lusail, Sheikh Mohammed laid out the latest developments in the ceasefire talks.

“Right now we are almost at a status of a stalemate. Of course, what happened with Rafah has set us backwards,” he said.

Israeli occupation forces invaded the Gaza-Egypt Rafah Crossing on May 6 while launching deadly airstrikes on its surrounding areas. 

The move came at a critical time for the ceasefire talks, just hours after Hamas agreed to a proposed deal presented by mediators Qatar and Egypt.

Attacks on densely-populated Rafah in the south and the north have intensified, further displacing Gaza’s already displaced population. 

Rafah is densely populated with 1.4 million people, many of which were initially ordered to evacuate the north last October while the southern city was declared to be a safe zone.

Since last week, around 300,000 people have been forced to flee Rafah with nowhere safe to go, the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Sunday. 

The entry of aid and evacuations have been disrupted due to the invasion of the Rafah Crossing.

Sheikh Mohammed noted that there are fundamental differences between Hamas and Israel, with one party demanding a ceasefire and the other limiting any deal to the release of captives.

“There is one party that wants to end the war and then talk about the hostages and there is another party who wants the hostages and wants to continue the war. As long as there is not any commonality between those two things it won’t get us to a result,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“There is no clarity on how to stop the war from the Israeli side, I don’t think they’re considering this as an option[…]there’s no clarity on what Gaza will look like after this,” he added.

Since assuming the critical mediation role, Qatar has faced criticism from Israeli officials and some American diplomats over its efforts. The criticism came despite Qatar’s ability to reach a deal last year that saw the release of 109 captives from Hamas.

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar re-assessed the attitude over its role and said his country did not want to “be used or abused as a mediator.”

“Our job is limited to our mediation, that’s what we will do, that’s what we will continue to do,” he said.

Qatar does not hold diplomatic ties with Israel and has hosted the Hamas political office since 2012 in response to a request from the United States.

Recent reports have alleged plans to shut down Hamas’s office in Qatar amid the stalemate in the talks.

Asked about the reports, Sheikh Mohammed said that Hamas’s presence served as a communication channel that proved to be effective over the years and in releasing captives from Hamas.

“As long as the war is ongoing and there is a need for communication, there’s nothing to be entertained in that area. Our view here in Qatar is that we need to be accessed for different parties to resolve conflicts,” he said.

In response to a question on the Strip’s future, Sheikh Mohammed said that Qatar believes a single Palestinian government should be in charge of the West Bank and Gaza based on consensus among the Palestinians.

Israel’s relentless genocidal war in Gaza entered its eighth month, killing more than 35,000 people in the besieged enclave while creating a dire humanitarian crisis.

At least 1.7 million people are internally displaced in Gaza and 1.1 million people are projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity, according to the UN.

Israel’s attacks on hospitals and prevention of the entry of basic resources also forced more than half of Gaza’s health facilities to go out of service. Currently, there are 12 partially functioning hospitals in Gaza out of an initial 36.

The health sector is on the brink of total collapse with the closure of the Rafah Crossing.