Qatar is insisting that Israel issue a formal public apology for the recent airstrike in Doha that killed senior Hamas figures, setting it as a precondition for resuming its role as mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, Channel 12 News reported.
The demand was formally relayed to Israeli officials and also communicated to representatives of the United States, according to the report.
Since the Gaza conflict began, Qatar has played a central part in shuttle diplomacy between the two sides, and the Trump administration has assessed that without Doha’s involvement, progress toward negotiations would be severely hampered.
The matter surfaced during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s discussions this week with the Qatari emir in Doha, as well as in his meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
Qatar’s position was further conveyed during a session in London between Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff is scheduled to hold additional talks in New York later this week with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in hopes of moving forward with efforts to resolve the standoff, resume ceasefire negotiations, and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
{Matzav.com}
