Qatar has warned that the Gaza ceasefire is at a critical moment as the first phase nears completion without clarity on the next steps. One Israeli hostage’s remains are still to be handed over, and negotiations on extending the agreement have stalled. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the current pause cannot be considered a real ceasefire because Israeli forces have not withdrawn, and movement in and out of Gaza remains restricted.
Despite the halt in large-scale fighting, Gaza health officials report that more than 360 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began on October 10 due to Israeli fire along ceasefire lines. On Saturday, two Palestinians were reportedly killed northwest of Gaza City, while the Israeli military denied an airstrike there and said soldiers had instead shot militants who crossed into the Israeli-controlled northern zone and posed an immediate threat.
The second phase of the US-backed peace plan has not started. While the first stage involved stopping the fighting and exchanging hostages for prisoners, the next is expected to introduce an international security force in Gaza, create a technocratic administration, disarm Hamas and set the stage for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops. Arab and Western officials say a multinational body led by President Donald Trump is expected to be appointed by the end of the year to supervise the ceasefire, with the long-term plan including a possible pathway toward Palestinian statehood.
Qatar maintains that even the next phase should be temporary and that lasting peace will only be achieved with the establishment of a Palestinian state, a demand strongly opposed by Israel’s current leadership. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also raised doubts about the proposed international security force, pointing out that there is still no agreement on which countries will contribute, what its command structure will be or what mandate it will carry. Israel has already rejected Turkish participation.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants entered Israel, killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says nearly half of the dead are women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but its figures are considered reliable by the United Nations and other international organisations.
