The joint press conference also tapped into the developments in Lebanon, Israel’s assassination of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, and the latest allegations against Al Jazeera’s journalists in the Gaza Strip.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has announced that U.S. and Israeli negotiators will return to Doha for a new round of talks aimed at securing a captives release and a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, with the hopes of achieving a breakthrough in the ongoing war.

“A negotiating team from the United States will visit Doha alongside a negotiating team from the Israeli side and ways to reach a breakthrough in the negotiations will be discussed,” Sheikh Mohammed told the press in Doha on Thursday.

The prime minister, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, did not disclose the date of the talks.

Sheikh Mohammed’s remarks came during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Diwan Annex in Doha. Earlier, Blinken had met Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Lusail Palace, the Amiri Diwan said in a statement. 

The latest stop of Blinken’s 11th tour to the region since Israel began its brutal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year comes amid intensifying attacks and forced displacement of the 400,000 residents in northern Gaza.

This week’s tour, which included stops in Israel and Saudi Arabia, follows previous unsuccessful attempts to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and securing the release of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian group.

The talks have stalled since the expiration of last year’s week-long truce in December as Israel expanded its aggression to neighbouring Lebanon.

Israel has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, although the actual death toll is believed to be an undercount as thousands remain missing and buried under the rubble.

For the past 20 days, Israel has imposed a total blockade on northern Gaza, carrying out non-stop bombardment, starvation and harrowing torture methods on Palestinians.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen in recent days intensified Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip especially in the north and we condemn the siege on the north of Gaza as well as the systematic bombing of hospitals and displacement camps,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

Blinken, whose government has staunchly backed Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip, emphasised the critical need to provide aid to Palestinians in the blockaded territories. He also announced an additional $135m in humanitarian assistance.

Assassination of Yahya Sinwar

The latest meeting between the top Qatari and U.S. officials came a week after Israel killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip, more than two months after assassinating his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in July.

Blinken echoed past U.S. claims of Sinwar hindering negotiations, saying that his death can now pave the way for a breakthrough.

“The fact that he is no longer with us creates an opening for actually moving forward and concluding an agreement in our judgment,” Blinken said. “He has now been removed from the equation and of course, we’re working intensively to make sure that this conflict doesn’t spread.”

When asked about claims that Sinwar has been hindering the negotiations, Qatar’s Prime Minister urged the press to examine the negotiation process to identify which side is obstructing a potential agreement.

Sheikh Mohammed added that Qatar had reached out to Hamas following the killing of Sinwar.

“We re-engaged with them. There has been an engagement with the representatives from the political office in Doha. We had some meetings with them in the last couple of days,” he said.

Responding to a question over prospects for a deal, Sheikh Mohammed stressed that “the mediator’s role is limited if there is a party that is not positively engaged in the negotiations”, referring to Israel.

Israeli aggression on Lebanon

The Qatari prime minister also stressed that his discussions with Blinken centred on the critical situation in Lebanon and the urgent need for a resolution.

Israel has killed at least 2,574 Lebanese people since October 8, 2023, according to the latest figures by the Lebanese government.

“Unfortunately, we had warned since the beginning of the war of the development and expansion of the conflict to other areas in the Middle East and we see today that the war has expanded to Lebanon,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“This painful stage in the region must end as soon as possible,” he added.

Meanwhile, the top U.S. diplomat reiterated his country’s support for Israel over its “right to defend itself” while adding that Washington had warned over a “protracted campaign” in Lebanon.

“We have been very clear that this cannot lead to a protracted campaign and Israel must take the necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and not endanger UN peacekeepers or one of the Lebanese armed forces,” Blinken said, before adding that there is “intense” work to reach a diplomatic resolution.

Israel’s killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon last month following the assassination of Hamas’ Haniyeh in Tehran has triggered further escalation in the region. 

Iran had retaliated for both killings earlier this month by launching dozens of air strikes and ballistic missiles on Israel, which in turn has vowed to respond to Tehran.

Blinken told the press in Doha that the U.S. is working alongside Israel to deter any Iranian attack.

“The United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself and we’ve been in close coordination with Israel on what is necessary to deter further aggression from Iran and to ensure that any response does not lead to an endless cycle of escalation,” he said.

Allegations over Al Jazeera in Gaza

The Thursday press conference between Sheikh Mohammed and Blinken came a day after Israeli forces alleged that six Al Jazeera journalists in the Gaza Strip were “Islamic Jihad terrorists” or affiliated with the Hamas movement.

Sheikh Mohammed stressed that such accusations cannot be taken “on face value”.

“Al Jazeera is an independent media institution that runs out of Doha and we are very proud of it as an institution that has gained respect around the world, with its coverage for different conflict zones being commanded,” he said.

“We need to know that we learned throughout this war that we cannot take those accusations of Israel for face value because we’ve been subject to that,” he added, citing similar past Israeli allegations against Qatar’s reconstruction committee in the Gaza Strip.

Commenting on the same matter, Blinken said he could not “speak to the veracity” of the report while reiterating Washington’s support for press freedom.

“We very much support the work of journalists in Gaza and everywhere else around the world including in areas of conflict, and we are equally determined that journalists be protected,” he said, stopping short of condemning Israel for killing at least 177 Palestinian journalists in the past year.