Qatar says no breakthrough in Gaza cease-fire talks

ISTANBUL

Qatar said Tuesday that there is no breakthrough in talks for a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

"So far, the negotiations have not yielded any tangible results,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told a press conference in Doha.

“We are upbeat and optimistic to have something today or tomorrow,” he added.

The Qatari spokesman said his country seeks to reach a cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, due to start next week.

“The situation on the ground, however, is completely different as there are many obstacles,” he added, without providing any further details.

Al-Ansari said that humanitarian aid flow into Gaza was decreasing, calling for action from the international community to allow access to aid supplies into the Palestinian enclave.

On Monday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip dropped by half in February.

Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, is mediating between Hamas and Israel to put an end to a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Hamas, which is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, demands an end to Israel’s ongoing onslaught on Gaza in return for any hostage deal.

A previous deal in November saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.

Nearly 29,900 Palestinians have been killed and over 70,000 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar