Dermer holds first phone call with Qatari PM on hostage deal efforts
US envoy Steve Witkoff attempted to arrange a meeting between Dermer and Al-Thani, but it never came to fruition.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who leads Israel's negotiating team in hostage talks, spoke with Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on the phone over the weekend, a source familiar with the matter told Walla on Tuesday.
Sources confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that this was the first direct contact between the two. Al-Thani is considered a key mediator between Israel and Hamas in the ongoing negotiations. Dermer's office declined to comment on the matter.
The Post previously reported that US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, attempted to arrange a meeting between Dermer and Al-Thani after Dermer took office, but it never came to fruition.
A source familiar with the details said the conversation aimed to eliminate any 'broken telephone' issues between the parties and ensure that Al-Thani fully understood Israel's position before his scheduled meetings with senior Hamas officials in Doha.
Following the conversation with Dermer, Al-Thani met with Hamas leaders to discuss the negotiations. Over the weekend, Hamas announced its readiness to begin 'proximity talks' with Israel to address the remaining disputes regarding the hostage deal and the ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli officials, however, noted that despite Hamas's declaration, the group has so far refused to negotiate on the basis of Witkoff's proposal and continues to maintain its previous position rejecting the plan.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel said it would not send a delegation to Qatar after Hamas requested changes to the deal outlined by Witkoff. However, an Israeli official said that "negotiations have not stopped, efforts of the mediators will continue."
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