Qatar's Gaza Ceasefire Efforts Draw Global Praise, Call For Wider Qatari Mediation Role

Doha: Qatar's success in helping reach the Gaza ceasefire deal has drawn massive international attention, with officials asking which other conflicts Qatari mediation efforts could help resolve, reported Bloomberg yesterday.

The Bloomberg report described Qatar's role as“pivotal throughout the negotiation process.”

Abdulaziz Al Anjari, founder and head of Kuwait-based Reconnaissance Research, was quoted in the Bloomberg report attributing Qatar's successful mediation to“its neutral positioning, lack of historical baggage with many parties, and willingness to engage with groups like Hamas, the Taliban and Western powers simultaneously.”

On January 16, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced that joint mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the United States had secured a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal between the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel.

The deal took effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025, with the first phase witnessing the release of three Israeli detainees in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners and large amounts of aid pouring into the Gaza Strip.

The report says that Qatar was“pivotal” throughout the negotiation process,“and not just because of its relationship with Hamas,” said Anna Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

“Its very close relationship with the US, engagement with senior Israeli officials, and its much improved relations with Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are what made Doha the integral regional actor.”

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