ANKARA

Qatar, Egypt, and the US continue their efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Tuesday.

"We are continuing with Egypt and the US for efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza," Sheikh Mohammed said in his speech at the opening of the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.

"We have tried since the beginning of the war on Gaza to mediate an agreement that ends it and allows hostages to return to their families," he added.

The Qatari premier stressed that the only way to end the war was through negotiations, which were always "sabotaged and manipulated."

Sheikh Mohammed noted that Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza had undermined peace efforts after the release of Israeli American captive Edan Alexander.

“When Israeli American soldier Edan Alexander was released, we thought that moment would open a door to end this tragedy, but the response was a more violent wave of strikes,” he said.

Alexander was set free by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas last week following talks led by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Following his release, the Israeli army intensified its air assaults in Gaza, killing more than 500 Palestinians and injuring hundreds.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.