Qatar has withdrawn its mediation between Israel and Palestinian Hamas after months of unsuccessful efforts to end the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, a diplomatic source told AFP on Saturday, under cover of anonymity. “The Qataris have indicated to the US administration that they would be ready to re-engage in mediation when both sides […] will demonstrate a sincere desire to return to the negotiating table,” he added.
The same diplomatic source also indicated that the Hamas political office in Doha “no longer has any reason to exist”, without explicitly saying whether the office will be closed. An official of the Islamist movement specified that the latter has not received “any request to leave Qatar”. “We have nothing to confirm or deny what was published by an unidentified diplomatic source,” said this Hamas official in Doha contacted by telephone by AFP.
⇒ War on Gaza: Qatar says it will withdraw its mediation
⇒ Iran warns of the risk of “spreading” the war outside the Middle East
⇒ Exchange between Donald Trump and Mahmoud Abbas, according to the Palestinian presidency
War in Gaza: Qatar withdraws mediation
Qatar has withdrawn mediation between Israel and Palestinian Hamas after months of unsuccessful efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip, a diplomatic source said on Saturday. “The Qataris have informed the Israelis and Hamas that as long as both sides refuse to negotiate an agreement in good faith, they cannot continue to play the role of mediator. As a result, the Hamas political office (in Doha) “has not more reason to exist,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
With the United States and Egypt, Qatar has mediated between the two belligerents since a single truce in the conflict in November 2023 that lasted a week and allowed the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel . Since then, numerous negotiating sessions have taken place without any result.
Hamas official says movement has received ‘no request to leave Qatar’
A Hamas official told AFP on Saturday that the Palestinian Islamic movement had received ”no request to leave Qatar”, reacting to comments from a diplomatic source that the Hamas office in Doha “no longer has reason to to exist.”
“We have nothing to confirm or deny what was published by an unidentified diplomatic source, and we have not received any request to leave Qatar,” said the Hamas official from Doha
Gaza: Civil Protection announces 14 deaths in two Israeli attacks
The civil defense of the Gaza Strip announced on Saturday morning the death of 14 people, killed in two Israeli attacks, one “against a school” in the north, the other against a camp of “tents for displaced people in Khan Younes” in the south. A rocket attack on the Fahad al-Sabah school, a facility in the Al-Touffah neighborhood of Gaza City that has been turned into an emergency reception centre, left “five dead, including children, and 22 injured”, said Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the Civil protection. in a press release. The other Israeli air attack “on the tents of displaced people in Khan Younes” caused “9 deaths and 11 injuries”.
Committed against the Palestinian Sunni Islamic movement Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip, as well as against the Lebanese Shiite Islamic movement Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Israeli army announced that in the last 24 hours it had struck “more than 50 terrorist targets in Lebanon and Gaza Strip.
Iran warns of the risk of the war ”spreading” outside the Middle East
Iran warned on Saturday of the risk of war in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, where Israel faces pro-Iranian movements, which are spreading to other regions outside the Middle East. “The world must know that if war spreads, its harmful effects will not be limited only to the Middle East region,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in a speech broadcast on Iranian state television. “Insecurity and instability can spread to other regions, even very distant ones,” he added.
The Iraqi prime minister hopes for Donald Trump’s “end of wars” in the Middle East
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani has spoken to US President-elect Donald Trump, saying he hopes he will keep his campaign “promises” and his ”pledge” to “end the wars” in the Middle East. During the telephone interview, Mohamed Chia al-Soudani underlined “his attention to the statements and promises of Donald Trump during his election campaign, including his commitment to end the wars in the region, and the two sides agreed to coordinate to achieve this goal,” according to a press release from the Iraqi prime minister’s office issued Friday evening.
Exchange between Donald Trump and Mahmoud Abbas
Donald Trump and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, had a telephone conversation and the newly elected American president pledged to work “to end the war”, the Palestinian presidency announced on Friday. During this exchange, President Abbas wished Donald Trump success and said he was ready to work with him “to achieve a just and complete peace based on international legitimacy.”
For his part, Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on January 20, stressed that he “will work to end the war” and that he is “ready to work with President Abbas and relevant parties in the region and in the country.” world to establish peace in the region.
The vast majority of the dead in Gaza are women and children, the UN says
Women and children accounted for “nearly 70%” of deaths in the Gaza Strip between November 2023 and April 2024, the UN said on Friday after scrutiny of a partial count of casualties from Israel’s war against Hamas .
The new report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also details a wide range of violations of international law, which for many could amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and perhaps even a “genocide”. “The report shows that civilians in Gaza were hardest hit by the attacks, particularly during the total siege” of the narrow strip of territory by Israeli forces, the UN said.
The Israeli embassy at the UN in Geneva “categorically” rejected the report and its “absurd conclusions”, denouncing “the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ inherent obsession with demonizing Israel”.
The “anti-Semitic attacks” in Amsterdam are “abject”, Biden denounces
Joe Biden on Friday called the ”anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli fans” in Amsterdam “abject”, an event “reminiscent of dark moments in history, when Jews were persecuted”. “We must relentlessly fight against anti-Semitism, wherever it emerges,” the outgoing American president said on X, adding that he had been in contact with “officials from Israel and the Netherlands.”
UNIFIL once again accuses the Israeli army of damaging one of its positions in Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) accused the Israeli army on Friday of damaging one of its positions in the south of the country, in an action it described as “deliberate and direct”.
The events, which occurred on Thursday, come after “seven other similar incidents” perpetrated by the Israeli army, UNIFIL said. According to the statement, two excavators and a bulldozer “destroyed part of a fence and a concrete structure at a UNIFIL post in Ras Naqoura”.
“We also note with concern the destruction and removal this week of two of the blue barrels marking the UN withdrawal line between Lebanon and Israel,” adds the UN Interim Force, stressing that peacekeepers “have directly observed” the army removes one.
N Jewish communities in Amsterdam “abject,” condemning the violent rise in anti-Semitism that has been witnessed globally amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The U.S. President’s remarks came in response to recent incidents where Jewish individuals and institutions faced harassment and violence in the Dutch capital, reflecting a troubling trend that has emerged in various parts of the world. Biden reassured the Jewish community that the U.S. stands firmly against such acts of hate and violence and pledged to work towards ensuring their safety and protection.
Alongside this, calls have intensified for leaders worldwide to address and combat increasing anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions, recognizing the intersection of these issues with the broader geopolitical tensions in the region. The administration underscored a commitment to educating about anti-Semitism as a critical step in fostering understanding and tolerance within societies experiencing heightened conflict-induced sentiments.
The report further emphasizes that such hostilities not only affect the immediate victims but sow deeper societal divisions, creating a precarious environment for communal coexistence. World leaders are urged to unite against all forms of hate and discrimination to build a more inclusive and peaceful global community.