ISTANBUL

Qatar said Tuesday that contacts are underway with partners to open the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, stressing rejection of Israeli political blackmail.

“Qatar has been working tirelessly with Egypt, Türkiye and the United States since the first day to reach the second phase (of the Gaza ceasefire agreement),” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a press conference in Doha.

“There are ongoing contacts and discussions in this regard, but there are many obstacles,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that his government will not reopen the Rafah crossing until the remains of the last Israeli captive are returned from Gaza.

“We reject political blackmail and call for humanitarian aid not to be used as a political tool in disputes,” Ansari said.

“There are contacts with partners to reach understandings to open the Rafah crossing and to move to the second phase of the agreement.”

According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Netanyahu told officials after returning from the US that he agreed with officials in Washington that the terminal will remain closed until the remains of the last Israeli hostage are returned.

Netanyahu also announced Israel’s intention to set a deadline for Hamas to disarm, the outlet said.

Israel has fully closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing since May 2024, as part of its two-year offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 71,400 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

Hamas has released all living Israeli captives in its custody and the remains of 28 others under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10. The Palestinian group says it is still searching for the body of the last Israeli captive amid widespread destruction in the enclave.

Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, the Israeli army has committed hundreds of violations, killing 422 Palestinians and wounding 1,189 others, according to the Health Ministry.