Qatar is currently reconsidering its position as a peace broker between Israel and Hamas, as declared by the Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, at a Doha press briefing as reported by Agence France-Presse. The Qatari leader indicated their role has been exploited and misused. He further added that certain politicians have been undermining Qatar’s role for their own electoral advantages.
In conjunction with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has been partaking in weeks-long discussions to broker peace in Gaza and negotiate the exchange of Israeli prisoners with Palestinian captives held in Israeli confines. However, the Qatari prime minister indicated that the ongoing peace talks have reached a stalemate. Qatar, which has housed the political leaders of Hamas since 2012 with the nod of the United States, has repeatedly brushed off Israel’s criticism of its peace-brokering role.
According to reports, Israel has escalated its military presence surrounding the Gaza Strip, implying preparation for a ground attack on Rafah, the only haven for over 1.4 million displaced Palestinian civilians. The Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv mentioned on Wednesday that Israeli troops were on high alert. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) didn’t comment on these reports.
The IDF verified on Tuesday their preparation for civil evacuation, purchasing 40,000 tents for displaced civilians seeking refuge in Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip. This happens to be the only major city in the region that has yet been accessed by Israeli ground forces. After the unexpected Iranian attack last weekend, Israel is still to come up with a response.
Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, showed his appreciation to the touring foreign ministers of Germany and Britain for their backing on Wednesday, but reminded that Israel would decide its own security measures.
Leaders of the European Union reached consensus on Wednesday to initiate fresh sanctions against the manufacturers of drones and missiles in Iran, according to a statement by EU’s head, Charles Michel. He conveyed that the EU decided to apply such punitive measures against Iran as a strong message that they want to send. The sanctions are specifically aimed at corporations essential in creating the drones and missiles, stated the President of the European Council, while in Brussels for an EU summit. As a repercussion for the unanticipated attack the previous weekend, Israel contemplated executing a retaliatory strike on Iran but eventually rescinded the notion, as reported by US and Israeli media. – The Guardian