On Sunday, September 22, the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, met with the Emir of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump took to the social media platform Truth Social to express his admiration for the Emir, stating, “The Amir has proven himself to be a great and powerful national leader, making progress in all aspects at a record pace. He is also someone who strongly desires peace in the Middle East and the world. Our relationship during my time in the White House was very good, and this time, our bond will be even closer!”
Since 2012, Hamas has had an office in the Qatari capital of Doha. Qatari authorities stated that the presence of Hamas in Doha is in accordance with the request of the United States, and both Democratic and Republican administrations support the continued operation of this office. The U.S. government particularly appreciated Qatar’s mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas during the recent Gaza conflict.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza have been ongoing for months, with officials from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar working to find terms acceptable to both Israel and Hamas.
Last Tuesday, Secretary of State Blinken traveled to Egypt to communicate with key regional partners in the Middle East and proposed a revised ceasefire agreement. Blinken met with Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Following the meeting, Lapid told reporters that Israel needs a prisoner exchange and an end to the war in Gaza, emphasizing that the trade should not be affected by political processes or turmoil. Lapid urged the U.S. not to allow Hamas to “evade the prisoner exchange.”
Lapid said, “Israel as a nation cannot heal unless we bring back the remaining hostages. This is crucial for our survival.”
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated to the media last Monday, “We will continue to communicate with regional partners – Egypt and Qatar – to understand the specifics of this proposal, to ensure or strive to ensure that this proposal can lead to a final agreement among all parties.”
The proposal aims to break the current deadlock, reaching a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas while ensuring the release of the remaining hostages taken during the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Officials hinted that a timeline for the ceasefire proposal would be announced soon.