Qatar warns Israel’s ceasefire violations pushing Gaza truce toward collapse

Qatar’s prime minister has warned that relentless Israeli breaches of the Gaza ceasefire are jeopardizing the entire agreement, as winter storms deepen a humanitarian catastrophe and Tel Aviv continues to obstruct aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani sounded the warning on Wednesday, stressing that daily Israeli violations of the US-brokered ceasefire threaten to derail the deal altogether, calling for the immediate launch of the second phase of the deal aimed at halting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Speaking after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, Al Thani warned that “delays and ceasefire violations endanger the entire process and place mediators in a difficult position,” stressing that humanitarian aid must enter Gaza unconditionally.

The remarks came during the seventh US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue as the fragile truce continues to fray amid a worsening humanitarian emergency.

According to reports, the talks focused largely on pressuring the occupying entity to halt its violations, alongside discussions on forming an international stabilization force that could include Indonesian and Turkish troops, despite Israel’s objections to Turkish involvement.

Since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israel has violated it at least 738 times, killing at least 394 Palestinians and injuring 1,075 others.

The development comes as Gaza’s humanitarian situation has grown desperate as winter storms batter the war-ravaged territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to shelter in flimsy tents or unsafe and bombed-out buildings.

Israel has compounded the crisis by blocking essential supplies, including mobile homes, tents and blankets, while tightly restricting aid deliveries, with Gaza’s Government Media Office reporting that only 39 percent of approved aid trucks have reached their destinations.

The United Nations says around 30,000 children have been affected by storm damage to shelters, as Israel continues to bar vital winter assistance and nutritious food.

17 Palestinians die in Gaza amid extreme cold as Israel keeps blocking aid

At least 17 Palestinians, including four children, have died from cold in the Gaza Strip so far this month amid continued Israeli restrictions on aid delivery.

Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, for his part, has warned that ongoing Israeli violations threaten the viability of the agreement, urging US President Donald Trump to force Tel Aviv to comply, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends continued killings by accusing Hamas of rearming.

The second phase of Trump's 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan concerns Hamas disarmament, the further withdrawal of Israeli forces, the unveiling of a new governing body in Gaza, and the launching of an “International Stabilization Force” in the strip.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 70,667 Palestinians, the majority being women and children, with 171,151 others injured, in Gaza.

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