Doha, 13 February 2025: Qatar has warned Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions are endangering the current hostage agreement, citing multiple ceasefire violations.
According to Haaretz, Qatar sent “angry messages” to Israel after Netanyahu’s remarks on removing Palestinians from Gaza and his failure to dispatch a high-level delegation to Doha for negotiations. Qatari officials stated they are not mere intermediaries but guarantors of the agreement.
Israeli breaches of the ceasefire terms are extensive. The agreed humanitarian aid quota of 12,000 trucks remains unmet, with only 8,500 reaching Gaza. Just 10% of the promised 200,000 tents have been delivered, while none of the 60,000 pledged mobile homes have materialized.
The medical evacuation program has also faltered, with only 120 patients permitted to leave instead of the expected 1,000.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports ongoing Palestinian casualties despite the ceasefire. Israeli forces continue to block displaced persons from returning to northern Gaza and prevent critical equipment from entering for debris removal and body recovery.
The death toll has reached at least 48,000, mostly women and children, with thousands still missing under the rubble.
Three Israeli officials and two mediators confirmed to The New York Times that Hamas’s claims regarding Israel’s failure to meet the agreement terms are accurate.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has openly condemned Netanyahu’s televised comments proposing the relocation of Gaza’s Palestinian population to Saudi Arabia, calling them “a flagrant violation of international law.”
The diplomatic crisis is escalating as Hamas threatens to halt the agreement’s implementation. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu have responded with threats of their own.
US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Israel and Doha to assess the deteriorating situation. Sources indicate that without swift progress in the second phase of negotiations, further hostage release delays could lead to the collapse of the agreement’s first phase.
