Hostage swap deal possible if humanitarian conditions in Gaza improve, says Qatari prime minister

ISTANBUL 

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Saturday that reaching an agreement between Hamas and Israel is dependent on resolving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

“If we can reach in the next few days some good conditions on the humanitarian side, we can see a deal happening soon,” Al Thani said at the Munich Security Conference.

Regarding the progress of negotiations between Hamas and Israel, he said, “We have been trying to reach an agreement between the two parties, yet the last few days have not been progressing as expected.”

In response to a question about obstacles to reaching an agreement, Al Thani said he cannot reveal much about the details of the negotiations.

However, he said, “The time is not in our favor.”