Qatar’s prime minister on Sunday denied allegations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisers were employed by his government.
“Our contracts are with an American media company, and they are open and transparent,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
The purpose of these contracts is to “act against the media campaign launched against Qatar in Israel and to facilitate communication with the families of the kidnapped” hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, added Al Thani, who is also foreign minister.
During a press conference held with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, on Sunday, Al Thani noted that he noticed some progress in Gaza ceasefire talks.
“We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings, yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That’s the key point of the entire negotiations,” he said.
Al Thani didn’t say which elements of the talks had progressed, only that Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.
He added that Qatar would continue its efforts to resume the ceasefire “despite obstacles and political blackmail,” according to Qatari-owned, London-based outlet Al Araby Al Jadeed.
He said Hamas “proposed the release of all hostages in exchange for a number of prisoners, but on conditions unacceptable to Israel, which wants the hostages without an end to the war.
“When you don’t have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities [to end the war] become very thin,” he added.
Turkish Foreign Minister comments
Fidan asserted that “There is no alternative but to pressure Israel to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, and Qatar has made tremendous efforts in this regard.”
Fidan said talks between Turkish officials and Hamas have shown the terror group to be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.
Additionally, Al Thani also denied any allegations that Qatar is linked with anti-Zionist protests on US campuses, saying the “absurd accusations” are “baseless.”
“We have never been a party to antisemitism,” he added.Reuters contributed to this report.