Gaza ceasefire talks in

Qatar’s prime minister said Saturday that the Gaza ceasefire has reached a “critical moment” as its first phase draws to a close, with the remains of a single Israeli hostage still being held by militants.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told an international conference in the Qatari capital that international mediators, led by the United States, are working “to force the way forward” toward the second phase to cement the deal.

“What we have just done is a pause,” he said at the Doha Forum. “We cannot consider it a ceasefire yet.”

“A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability in Gaza and people can come and go, which is not the case today,” he said.

While the ceasefire halted heavy fighting in the two-year war, Gaza health officials say more than 360 Palestinians have been murdered by Israeli fire since the truce came into force in October.

In fresh violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike northwest of Gaza City, staff at Shifa Hospital said.

Israel’s military said it was not aware of an airstrike there. However, he said Israeli soldiers on Saturday killed three militants who crossed the “yellow line” into the Israeli-controlled northern part of Gaza and “posed an immediate threat.”

Since the ceasefire, the Israeli military says it has carried out a series of attacks against Palestinians who cross ceasefire lines.

The second phase has not started.

The first phase of US President Trump’s government 20 point peace plan It came into effect on October 10. The fighting stopped and dozens of hostages held in Gaza were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Israel sent a delegation last week to Egypt for talks on the return of the last hostage’s remains.

The next phase, which includes the deployment of an international security force in Gaza, the formation of a new technocratic government for the territory, the disarmament of Hamas and an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, has not yet begun.

Arab and Western officials told The News on Friday that an international body to oversee the ceasefire, which will be led by Trump himself, is expected to be appointed by the end of the year. In the long term, the plan also calls for a possible “path” to Palestinian independence.

Sheikh Mohammed said even the next phase should be “temporary” and that peace in the region could only be achieved with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s government and most Israelis oppose.

“If we are only solving what happened in Gaza, the catastrophe that occurred in the last two years, it is not enough,” he said. “This conflict has a root. And this conflict is not just about Gaza.”

He added: “This is about Gaza. This is about the West Bank. This is about the Palestinians’ rights to their state. We look forward to working together with the US administration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there is a “big question” about the formation of a international security force for Gaza. At the same conference, he said it is unclear which countries will join the force, what the command structure would look like and what its “first mission” will be.

Türkiye is one of the “guarantors” of the ceasefire, but Israel, which maintains difficult relations with the Ankara government, has rejected any Turkish participation in the force.

“There are thousands of details and questions,” Fidan said. “I think once we deploy the ISF, the rest will come.”

UN agency seeks clear role in Gaza

A day after overwhelming international support, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said its future role in Gaza is unclear.

Throughout the war, Israel and the United States have left aside OOPSaccusing him of with Hamas, an accusation that UNRWA denies.

Tamara Alrifai, director of communications and external relations at UNRWA, said her agency continues to offer humanitarian and educational services in Gaza. But he said UNRWA has been excluded from US-led talks on the second phase of the ceasefire.

Alrifai said UNRWA serves as the de facto “public sector” in Gaza. And with 12,000 employees, he said it will be nearly impossible for the international community to double the agency’s service network.

“If we expel UNRWA, what other agency can fill that void?” he said on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar.

The United States, previously UNRWA’s largest donor, suspended funding to the agency in early 2024. On Friday, the UN General Assembly renewed UNRWA’s mandate until 2029. But Alrifai said the cash crisis continues.

“Votes are great. Cash is better,” Alrifai said.

More than 70,000 dead in Gaza

The war broke out on October 7, 2023, when Militants led by Hamas entered Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says almost half of the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government in Gaza and its figures are considered reliable by the UN and other international organizations.

Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.