DOHA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) US president-elect Donald Trump wants a ceasefire deal over Gaza before his upcoming inauguration on January 20, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Mohamed Al Thani said on Wednesday.
In televised remarks, Al Thani confirmed that Trump had clearly stated his intention to see Israel’s genocidal war in the Palestinian coastal territory resolved before his swearing-in. “Yes, he made that clear,” the PM said.
“We had heard this from his team, at least, as I recall the conversations that I had with them, that they want this to be resolved now,” he said.
As a central figure in the negotiations, the Qatari prime minister said he prefers not to share many details about this issue in order to protect the efforts being made in this regard.
“We are trying our best. We’ve been doing our utmost,” he said.
“We hope to get over this situation before the president (Trump) comes to the office, because we have priorities to stabilize the situation and restore regional security,” he added.
Previous mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and the Hamas Movement have failed over Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war, which has claimed the lives of some 45,000 Palestinians, wounded over 105,000 others and displaced almost two million people.
Analysts say the death toll reported by Palestinian authorities in Gaza and considered reliable by the UN, is a cautious estimate and the actual death toll could be around 200,000.
