Qatar, Egypt 'working intensively' to resolve Gaza ceasefire crisis
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Sources say Egypt and Qatar are intensifying their diplomatic efforts in an attempt to salvage the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
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Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mediators Qatar and Egypt are "working intensively" to address the problem surrounding the Gaza truce agreement, a Palestinian source told AFP on Wednesday, after "Israel" threatened to resume its aggression if the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas did not release Israeli captives by the weekend.
"Mediators from Qatar and Egypt are in contact with the American side," said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly on the issue.
"They are working intensively to resolve the crisis and compel Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol in the ceasefire agreement and begin negotiations for the second phase," he added.
The current fragile ceasefire agreement is at risk of being jeopardized in recent days, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that the bombardment of Gaza would resume if captives were not released by Saturday.
His statement matched that of US President Donald Trump, who warned a day earlier that "hell" would break out if Hamas did not release "all" Israeli captives by Saturday.
This comes after the spokesperson for the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, announced that the captive exchange set for February 15 has been postponed until further notice, due to the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.
The violations include Palestinians being shot at, tanks trespassing the permitted distance, and preventing the entry of heavy equipment, medical supplies, and caravans.
Hamas had been set to release captives on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but the group now demands that "Israel" fulfill its obligations and compensate for its violations before the process can continue.
In the same context, an informed Egyptian source told the Egyptian Al Qahera News website on Wednesday that Egypt and Qatar are intensifying their diplomatic efforts in an attempt to salvage the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The source explained that high-level contacts are ongoing with all parties amid growing US and Israeli pressure to resume military operations if captives are not released by the upcoming Saturday.
Egyptian and Qatari mediation efforts aim to find a balanced solution that ensures the agreement's implementation while maintaining calm to prevent a new escalation that could result in further losses, the source indicated.
The source also emphasized that Cairo and Doha are working to urge all parties to adhere to the terms of the agreement, despite political and field complexities that make the task increasingly difficult.
The informed Egyptian source stressed that maintaining the ceasefire is in everyone's interest, warning that a collapse of the agreement would trigger a new wave of violence with serious regional repercussions.
Egyptian security sources informed Reuters on Monday that mediation efforts are now in serious jeopardy, with growing concerns that "Israel's" lack of compliance could provoke renewed hostilities.
Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz escalated tensions by announcing that the military is on high alert and prepared to resume aggression on Gaza.
Tensions are only worsening since, with a Hamas source divulging things are becoming more complicated.
"Israel's continued obstruction and failure to commit to starting the second-phase negotiations confirm the occupation's persistence in obstruction to sabotage the ceasefire agreement and resume the aggression, as there is nothing deterring the occupation," the source revealed.
