Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Doha was working on the draft for the second phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The comments, made by Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari come after Israel freed 90 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails in exchange for three Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza as part of the initial phase of the ceasefire deal.
“We are currently working on preparing and drafting an agreement on the second phase of the ceasefire deal in Gaza”, al-Ansari said at the 55th World Economic Forum, dubbed Davos 2025.
“The main guarantee we need for the continuation of the agreement in Gaza is the commitment from both parties to its provisions” he stressed, adding that concerned parties involved in negotiations will “meet on the 16th day [of the ceasefire] to discuss the second phase”.
He urged international and regional partners “to pressure both parties to commit and agree to implement the ceasefire terms” noting that they “believe that the previous and current US administrations seek peace in Gaza”.
Al-Ansari said mediators were withholding technical details regarding how the second phase of the deal would be implemented, but they believe it would be “smoother” and include the facilitation of movement from the south of Gaza to the north.
Qatar has urged the UN Security Council to play an active role in ensuring the ceasefire is adhered to in Gaza, and that Israel commits to the terms of the agreement.
Alia Ahmed bin Said al Thani, the permanent representative of the state of Qatar to the UN, said it was “necessary to reject any measures that undermine the sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue, including attempts to annex Palestinian territories and violate religious sanctities”.
She also said that the management of Gaza after the war was purely a Palestinian matter.
The latest developments came as newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump said he was “not confident” that the Gaza ceasefire deal will hold.
In response to a question from a reporter, Trump said: “That’s not our war, it’s their war. But I’m not confident.”
He added that Gaza looked like a “massive demolition site”.
The Gaza ceasefire deal came into effect on 19 January, with the first phase of it set to last 42 days.
The first phase of the deal will see 33 captives released from Gaza over six weeks, including women, children and men over 50.
At least three captives will be released each week, while Israel will free 737 Palestinian detainees – most of whom were held without a trial or charge – from Israeli jails and essential humanitarian aid would be allowed in.
Phase two of the deal will see all the remaining captives released, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army.
However, the deal is looking increasingly fragile as Israel maintains it will not completely withdraw until Hamas’s military and political capabilities are “destroyed”.
Hamas insists it will not hand over the last of the Israeli captives until Israel completely withdraws from the Strip.
In the third phase, the bodies of the dead captives are set to be returned to Israel and Gaza’s reconstruction will commence, under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the UN.
Finer details on the day after and how Gaza will be governed in the future remain elusive as there is no consensus on the matter yet.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 47,035 Palestinians and wounded over 111,091 others. The war on the Strip has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.
