On Tuesday, the foreign ministry of Qatar stated that they expect moderation after the announcement that the Gaza ceasfire talks have begun an understanding regarding the release of the hostages was also made. Majed al-Ansari, speaking during a news conference, said, “We do believe that we are at the final stages...clearly, we are expecting this to culminate soon into a deal. Until there's a statement… we need to temper our enthusiasm about the events of the present.”

While speaking about the Gaza situation Al-Ansari further stressed, ”In the last few months, there were underlying issues, major issues between the two parties that remained unsolved. These problems were addressed in the discussions a few weeks ago, and as a result we have come to a place where the significant problems that had existed were ssolved and were no longer a hindrance.”

The United States, Qatar and Egypt are working together to facilitate the negotiations and the Gaza conflict with the with the focus being on the hostages taken by Hamas after the group’s 7 October attack on Israel. Expectation of a deal to be signed soon was set up after US president Joe Biden stated that the deal is still being finalized and is on the verge of being signed.

Al-Ansari promised that any ceasefire reached will be implemented without delay. The negotiations have been said to include key players such as Israel's intelligence officials, US Middle East diplomats and Qatar's prime minister as well as others. 'The mediators will meet Hamas separately,' the source said.

Strategy in Three Parts

The draft of the agreement that is being discussed reportedly contains a three-phase approach. Israel is expected to free more than 1,000 Palestinians. In exchange they would be expected to give about 33 of their citizens to Israel in exchange for peace. The ceasefire would allow Hamas to relocate forces into unoccupied zones in the North-Eastern regions whenever they are free.

Despite hopes of a major breakthrough, there are significant hurdles. The disagreement continues among the parties over the duration of the ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian, and the opening of border crossings. Moreover, contrary to the position of a wide sector of the Israeli population, the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed opposition to any negotiations that would suspend the fighting.

Death Toll Continues To Rise

Civilian's comprises a larger share than that of the militant population and the Gaza health ministry has reported a staggering `46,000 deaths` since the offensive by Israeli began, and all the while, Air raids and daily shelling, targeting Hamas militants resulted in the death of 18 individuals overnight. Which confirms that the violent clash has charged heavy losses. Israeli goverment admits to targeting Hamas officers, yet, civilian casualties remain unaccounted.

While talking about the ongoing conflict and clash, Dwight Sullivan expressed his address with a pinch of uncertainty, “I’m not making a promise or prediction, but it is there for the taking, and we are going to work to make it happen”.