Qatar pushes Israel-Hamas truce talks amid Gaza ceasefire momentum
DOHA: Gaza mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week's ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Palestinian territory, Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.
Israel and Iran on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar just hours after the Islamic republic launched a salvo of missiles towards the wealthy Gulf state, targeting the American military base hosted there.
The unprecedented attack on Qatari soil followed Washington's intervention into a days-long war between Israel and Iran which saw US warplanes strike Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting promises of retaliation from Tehran.
In an interview with AFP on Friday, Ansari said Doha -- with fellow Gaza mediators in Washington and Cairo -- was now 'trying to use the momentum that was created by the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to restart the talks over Gaza'.
'If we don't utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past. We don't want to see that again,' the spokesman, who is also an adviser to Qatar's prime minister, said.
US President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday about a new ceasefire in Gaza saying an agreement involving Israel and Hamas could come as early as next week.
Mediators have been engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations with the warring parties aimed at ending 20 months of war in Gaza, with Ansari explaining there were no current talks between the sides but that Qatar was 'heavily involved in talking to every side separately'.
- 'The right pressure' -
A two-month truce, which was agreed as Trump came into office in January, collapsed in March with Israel intensifying military operations in Gaza afterwards.
'We have seen US pressure and what it can accomplish,' Ansari said referring to the January truce which saw dozens of hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The Qatari official said particularly in the context of US enforcement of the Israel-Iran truce, it was 'not a far-fetched idea' that pressure from Washington would achieve a fresh truce in Gaza.
'We are working with them very, very closely to make sure that the right pressure is applied from the international community as a whole, especially from the US, to see both parties at the negotiating table,' Ansari said.
There were no casualties on Monday when Iran targeted Al Udeid, the Middle East's biggest US base and headquarters of its regional command.
Ansari said that as leaders were weighing their response to the attack, a call came from the US president to Qatar's emir, saying 'there is a possibility for regional stability... and that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire'.
'Qatar could have taken the decision to escalate,' Ansari said. 'But because there was a chance for peace... we opted for that,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
MONEY THOUGHTS: Of squeezes and substitutions
CAN you sense the snowballing righteous indignation of regular people at the arrogance and disrespect shown to them by political leaders — far and near? Globally, Donald Trump's tariffs on the whole world have angered entire continents, even as some cautious national leaders are taking a placatory stance toward him. Note: Even disregarding trade volumes for the moment, the sizable dip in the number of foreign students enrolling in American universities, and the cratering of tourist visits Stateside both bear testimony to one unsurprising truth: If you don't want me, I have options! While not true under monopolistic or monopsonistic circumstances, it is true most of the time. (In a monopoly, there is only one seller or provider of a good or service; so, a monopolistic vendor can raise prices to the roof. Conversely, in a monopsony, there is only one buyer, again, of a good or service; therefore, a monopsonistic buyer can — and almost always will — slam prices to the floor on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.) Thankfully, we — people and countries — have choices. So, while Trump considers the United States of America the economic centre of Earth, billions of people are waking up to the truth that 95.8 per cent of humanity lives outside America, and about 73 per cent of global GDP (gross domestic product) is generated within the other 192 member countries of the United Nations (and the two permanent observers, the Vatican and beleaguered Palestine). In most buy-and-sell transactions worldwide, the high-handed arrogance of entitled monopolists and monopsonists cannot gain traction because of one word: CHOICE. CHOICE AND SUBSTITUTION Fused onto the word "choice" like a semantic Siamese twin is the robust economic concept of "substitution", which applies to current American economic animosity toward most other countries, and also to the growing hordes of frustrated Malaysian consumers and business owners. People have choices when substitutions abound. You exercise this proactive power each time you dine out and scan menu items. If you see two meal options, which appeal equally to your growling stomach, you are likely to select the cheaper option. When extending the selection of options made from among several (or, better yet, many) economic choices, we humans usually revert to the common sense behaviour of rejecting those who reject us and instead seeking out those who are warm, friendly and accepting. For an extreme recent example, consider the sheer idiocy of the Trump administration barring eager, supersmart non-Americans from entering Harvard University. China's immediate (and massively logical) response was to welcome those brainiacs with open arms. Every country's future wealth is more dependent upon the scientific, technological and business acumen of a minority of talented people — regardless of where they were born — than upon the masses who believe mere birthright dubiously grants them some form of superiority. I suspect if America continues down this path of rejecting those who come from outside its shores, in less than a decade, other countries, led by wiser leaders, will grow at its expense. However, the proven self-correcting mechanisms in the American system of governance will probably permit the pendulum to swing back toward sanity in a few years. So, the advantage those of us who invest globally have is a vast range of choices for the allocation of our hard-earned, hard-won and hard-retained capital. Within our, ideally, globally diversified portfolios we should observe and think before acting. ECONOMIC RE-ENGINEERING Toward that end, the idea of substitution is readily understood, both within the SIPs (or savings and investment portfolios) we build lifelong wealth with, and within the narrow parameters of analysing the impact hiking a small country like Malaysia's sales and service (SST) rates can have. In case you missed it, there was an announcement that the Malaysian government will rake in an additional RM10 billion from its most recent hikes in certain SST rates. Time will tell if that durian runtuh -type harvest for government coffers materialises. You see, on the surface, having a competent, clean government that collects more tax revenue and which channels it toward enhancing the country's healthcare and education systems is laudable. However, that targeted extra RM10 billion flowing to the government is RM10 billion flowing OUT from the collective pockets of all Malaysians. It's been reiterated that 85 per cent of Malaysians won't be hurt too much, while the highest earning 15 per cent of Malaysian households shouldn't begrudge this economic re-engineering. Yet, in truth, dissatisfaction is rising like a king tide across all slices of the so-called privileged T15 — the 15 per cent of top-earning Malaysians. And the source of that dissatisfaction — increased taxes — will morph consumption habits across all socio-economic layers of this country. When we-the-people feel that disengaged authorities are squeezing us, we will respond rationally, logically, and decisively — to protect the economic well-being of those who matter most to us: our immediate families. Similarly, but on a larger scale, countries other than the US, especially across Asia, will evolve and grow new supply chains that exclude and sideline offensive rogue nations intent on rejecting or hurting them. Consider that as you contemplate your key investment choices over the next three-and-a-half years. © 2025 Rajen Devadason
Daily Express
35 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Thousands demand Thai PM's removal: Sparked by leaked call where she referred to Hun Sen as ‘uncle'
Published on: Sunday, June 29, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 29, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Anti-government protesters rally to demand the removal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office at Victory Monument in Bangkok on June 28, 2025. BANGKOK: Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied in Bangkok on Saturday, demanding Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (pic) resign after a leaked diplomatic phone call stirred public anger over her leadership. A Cambodian elder statesman leaked a call meant to sooth a border spat between the two nations in which Paetongtarn called him 'uncle' and referred to a Thai military commander as her 'opponent'. A key party abandoned Paetongtarn's coalition, accusing the 38-year-old dynastic premier of cow-towing to Cambodia and undermining Thailand's military, leaving her teetering with a slim parliamentary majority. Around 4,000 demonstrators filled roads ringing the capital's Victory Monument, waving Thai flags and cheering for speeches interspersed with live music. The crowd was mostly senior-aged and led by veteran activists of the 'Yellow Shirt' movement — which helped oust Paetongtarn's father Thaksin in the 2000s — as well as one of his former allies now among his harshest critics. 'I'm here to protect Thailand's sovereignty and to say the PM is unfit,' said 70-year-old protester Seri Sawangmue, who travelled overnight by bus from the country's north to attend. 'After I heard the leaked call, I knew I couldn't trust her,' he told AFP. 'I've lived through many political crises and I know where this is going. She's willing to give up our sovereignty.' Thailand has seen decades of clashes between the bitterly-opposed 'Yellow Shirts' who defend the monarchy and military and the 'Red Shirts' backing Thaksin, who they consider a threat to Thailand's traditional social order. Jamnong Kalana, 64, said she was once a 'Red Shirt' but had now changed her colours and was demanding Paetongtarn's resignation. 'I feel full of pain when I see a fellow Thai who doesn't love the country like I do,' she said. Authorities said more than 1,000 police and 100 city officials had been deployed for the event which remained peaceful early on Saturday afternoon. Paetongtarn was visiting Thailand's flood-hit north but before departing Bangkok she told reporters: 'It's their right to protest, as long as it's peaceful'. The prime minister has been battered by controversy and abandoned by her largest backer the Bhumjaithai Party after her phone call with Cambodia's ex-leader Hun Sen leaked earlier this month. Tensions between the countries have soared after a border dispute boiled over into violence last month which killed one Cambodia soldier. Next week, both Paetongtarn and her father face legal battles that could reshape Thailand's political landscape. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to take up a petition by senators seeking her removal over alleged unprofessionalism. That same day, her father is set to stand trial on royal defamation charges linked to decade-old remarks to South Korean media. Paetongtarn took office less than a year ago after her predecessor was disqualified by a court order and her father returned from exile after 15 years. She is the fourth Shinawatra-linked figure to become prime minister following her father, aunt and uncle-in-law. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
44 minutes ago
- The Star
War zone vows amid air raid alerts
GATHERED in a wedding hall in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, near the front line, Anna and Pavlo Chornobai exchanged rings to the applause of a dozen of the groom's fellow soldiers. The bride insisted on a white dress for the civil ceremony. But on everything else, including the prospect of celebrating with friends and family, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced her to make compromises. 'When I was a girl, there were horses and a puffy dress in my plans, so it's a bit different, but I don't regret it at all,' said the 22-year-old with a cherub tattoo on her collarbone. The war has given a sense of urgency to many military couples in Ukraine. Many see no point in waiting for a peace that seems little more than a mirage. Talk of ceasefires and an end to the three-year war have gripped Western capitals with US President Donald Trump pushing for a quick end to the fighting. But that all feels far from the reality in Sloviansk, around 20km from the front lines. With each air raid alert that rang out, the civil registry office's administrator, a woman in her 50s with a peroxide blond perm, ordered most visitors out of the building. They waited in front of a beige block initially built to be a cinema, topped with a rusty steel sign reading 'Mria' – meaning dream in Ukrainian. Pavlo's comrades, who he served with in the Azov brigade, were allowed in through the main entrance of the building, an exception. 'It's a pity that not all brothers-in-arms lived to see this. There are a lot of deaths,' Pavlo said. The 19-year-old said he had no doubts about his surprise proposal to Anna on Dec 31, 2024, despite having only met two months earlier when she served him coffee at a popular pastry chain. 'When you live at war, you become more decisive, more confident in your actions. War has quite influenced life; it changed it radically,' he said. Anna throwing a bouquet of flowers for the guests during her wedding ceremony with Pavlo at a civil registry office in Sloviansk, the eastern Donetsk region. — AFP Anna said she had luckily gotten a manicure ahead of New Year's Eve, ensuring perfect nails for photos of the ring. Ivan Salko said a gruelling experience on the front had pushed him to propose to his girlfriend, Tetyana. He spent four months defending a tough position in the eastern hotspot of Toretsk with no phone service or way of communicating with Tetyana. 'I was constantly thinking, I need to get out, and when I do, I need to accomplish something,' said Ivan. He proposed on a video-call from hospital while recovering from several wounds and a concussion. Tetyana almost broke down when she saw him on the screen. 'I understood it was difficult for him so I kept it together. I looked into his happy eyes; I was happy to see him. And then he proposed,' she said. But the prospect of another lengthy separation hung over their wedding in Sloviansk. Ivan was due to go back to the front the following day – this was their last opportunity to tie the knot, or otherwise be forced to wait for his next leave. In the face of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has introduced a video-link portal for couples to get married remotely, without needing to travel across the war-torn country to meet. Marriage offers some reassurance to military families, as spouses receive social support and are guaranteed a call if the partner is killed or wounded. But there is a months-long waiting list, said Lilya Lyashenko, who travelled to Sloviansk to marry Viktor Kravchuk. 'We would like it to be different. To go home, to reality. To celebrate and get married according to traditions. But there's no time,' said Kravchuk. Anna and Pavlo Chornobai managed to sneak in a few rituals to their hasty marriage ceremony. After the wedding officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Anna threw her bouquet to Pavlo's fellow servicemen. The flowers flew up toward the ceiling and then crashed on the floor, much to the group's amusement. A tall soldier rushed to scoop them up, smiled, and bowed. 'Don't postpone love for later. That's probably the most important thing,' Anna said. 'Don't wait for the right moment.' — AFP
