On the evening of August 15, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani held a telephone conversation with Ali Bagheri Kani, acting Iranian Foreign Minister.
The Emir of Qatar informed his interlocutor about the progress of negotiations on ending hostilities in the Gaza Strip and returning Israeli hostages, which are taking place in Doha with the participation of an Israeli delegation.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry also said that the need for further efforts to prevent the escalation of tensions in the region was discussed during the telephone conversation.
Earlier, the Israeli TV channel Kan 11 reported that the Israeli delegation postponed its departure from Doha, since the negotiations will continue on Friday, August 16. According to the Israeli TV channel, the negotiations are focused on several issues on which significant differences remain between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli delegation and the mediators are discussing a mechanism for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; a mechanism for ensuring control over the Rafah checkpoint and the Philadelphia axis; a mechanism for checking Gaza residents on the Netzarim axis; the number of hostages (alive) who will be released in the first stage of the deal; and Israel’s veto power when discussing the list of terrorists to be released.
A source of the TV channel familiar with the course of negotiations noted that the stumbling block in the negotiations was the mechanism for ending hostilities and the transition from the first to the second phase of the deal.