Mohammed Ragawi
January 17, 2025•Update: January 17, 2025
ISTANBUL
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed developments in the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with his Egyptian and Emirati counterparts on Friday.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Sheikh Mohammed spoke with Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty to review “bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them.”
Both officials reaffirmed their commitment to continued coordination under the joint mediation framework for the Israeli-Gaza conflict, ensuring the implementation of the deal, set to be implemented from Sunday.
He expressed Qatar’s gratitude for Egypt’s significant role in the mediation process, saying “ongoing coordination between the two countries played an effective role in advancing negotiations.”
On Wednesday evening, Sheikh Mohammed announced that efforts by mediators — Qatar, Egypt, and the US — had successfully secured the three-phase truce agreement.
The deal includes mutual prisoner releases, halt to hostilities, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza’s populated areas, daily humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, and a reconstruction plan spanning three to five years.
Sheikh Mohammed also spoke with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The agreement was approved by the Israeli security cabinet earlier in the day, the prime minister's office said, paving the for the final approval by the government.
Israeli Army Radio said three cabinet members voted against the agreement: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem, a Likud Party member.
Israel has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and reduced the enclave to a rubble.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio
