War in Gaza: Netanyahu’s comments against Qatar leak and hostage negotiations suffer another setback

The Qatari government said Wednesday it was dismayed the leaked statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizing the country’s mediation efforts with Hamas, complicating the arduous negotiations in advance which have the objective of stopping the hostilities in exchange for the release of the hostages.

In a meeting with relatives of hostages held by Hamas, Netanyahu highlighted Qatar’s role in mediation It was “problematic”.

Qatar, a key mediator which also has close ties to the militant group and hosts some of its leaders in exile, Netanyahu’s comments said They were “irresponsible and destructive”.

The public controversy occurred when sensitive conversations were taking place in an effort to move forward with a potential deal that offers respite from the devastating three-month war.

The battles they caused the deaths of more than 25,000 Palestiniansaccording to the Ministry of Health of Hamas-ruled Gaza, they are displaced about 85% of the 2.3 million of the territory’s inhabitants and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe that spread famine, malnutrition and disease throughout the besieged coastal enclave.

Attack on a United Nations refuge

As the diplomacy continued, fierce fighting continued, especially in southern Gaza, where the United Nations said an Israeli tank attack on a U.N. facility on Wednesday killed at least nine people and wounded dozens.

This Thursday, Israel requested the evacuation of the United Nations center for displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis, the UN informed AFP.

A spokeswoman for the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, specified that “the Israeli army has given until 5pm on Friday “to evacuate” that center which was hosting thousands of Palestinians fleeing the fighting between Israel and the Islamic movement Hamas, in power in Gaza.

Netanyahu has promised to continue the offensive until a “complete victory” against Hamas, which started the war with its cross-border attack on October 7, killing around 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapping around 250.

Israel signals that it is fighting in self-defense, But faces charges of genocide at the United Nations World Court in The Hague, which announced it He will deliver the sentence on Friday on South Africa’s request for an interim order requiring Israel to cease hostilities.

Qatar, a “problematic” mediator.

Qatar was a crucial link in the negotiation efforts between Israel and Hamas.

In Netanyahu’s leaked comments, which They aired on Tuesday on Canale 12 on Israeli television, he also told the families that he had intentionally not thanked Qatar for its mediation efforts, claiming that could exert more pressure on the Islamic militant group.

“In my opinion, Qatar is no different, in essence, from the United Nations. It is no different, in substance, from the Red Cross, and in certain respects It’s even more problematic.“, held. Israel sees these organizations with suspicion, considering them partial towards him and not useful enough to guarantee the freedom of the hostages.

In the leaked audio, Netanyahu also said he expressed his anger at the United States for renovating a military base in the Gulf state. He added that he urged the US government to pressure Qatar to put pressure on Hamas.

Qatar’s reaction

In a tweet, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Doha, Majed Al Ansari, said that Qatar is “outraged” by these claims which, if confirmed, “are irresponsible and destructive for the efforts to save innocent lives, even if they are not surprising.

“If the claims are true, the Israeli Prime Minister it would only hinder and undermine the mediation processfor reasons that seem beneficial to his political career, instead of prioritizing saving innocent lives, including those of Israeli hostages,” Al Ansari wrote on X.

“Instead of worrying about Qatar’s strategic relationship with the United States, we hope that Netanyahu decides to act in good faith and focus on freeing the hostages,” concluded the Qatari spokesperson.

Qatar helped to agree a week-long truce in November in which more than 100 hostages were freed. He is also involved in efforts to negotiate a new deal to bring home the approximately 130 hostages who remain captive.