West Asia conflict: Officials say Qatar has decided to suspend its mediation efforts on Gaza

Displaced Palestinians check the damage following an Israeli strike that hit tents set up in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday. Pic/AFP

Qatar has decided to suspend its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, officials stated on Saturday. However, Qatar is expected to resume its role in the mediation process if both sides demonstrate "serious political willingness" to reach a resolution on the ongoing conflict in Gaza, according to an official from Egypt, another key mediator in the matter.

According to news agency AP, a diplomatic source briefed on the situation mentioned that both Israel and Hamas, along with the United States, were informed of Qatar's decision. The source further indicated that as a result of this decision, the Hamas political office in Qatar no longer serves its intended function. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the issue.

A senior Hamas official acknowledged that they were aware of Qatar's decision to pause mediation efforts but noted, "no one told us to leave."

This move comes after growing frustration over the lack of progress in securing a ceasefire deal, AP reported. A senior US official commented on Hamas' rejection of repeated proposals for hostages' release, saying, "After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, (Hamas) leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas' rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal."

The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not provide any comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 people, including women and children, on Saturday, AP reported, quoting Palestinian medical officials. The strikes come as Israel announced the first delivery of humanitarian aid in weeks to northern Gaza, which has been devastated by the ongoing conflict.

Israel's strikes continue

There continues to be no end in sight to Israel's military campaigns against Hamas militants in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Israeli military stated it struck command centres and other militant infrastructure in Beirut's southern suburbs overnight.

One of the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City's eastern Tufah neighbourhood, killing at least six people, including two journalists, a pregnant woman, and a child, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli army confirmed the strike but claimed it targeted a militant from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, though no evidence or further details were provided.

In southern Gaza's Khan Younis, seven people, including two women and a child, were killed when an Israeli strike hit a sheltering tent. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Palestinian medical officials also reported that an Israeli airstrike hit tents in the courtyard of a central Gaza hospital, killing at least three people and wounding a local journalist.

The Israeli military body responsible for humanitarian aid, COGAT, announced that 11 aid trucks carrying food, water, and medical supplies reached northern Gaza on Thursday, marking the first delivery of aid to that region since Israel began its latest military campaign last month. However, not all of the aid reached the designated drop-off points. The UN World Food Programme reported that one convoy was stopped by Israeli forces in the Jabaliya refugee camp and ordered to offload supplies.

Israel's ongoing military focus in northern Gaza, particularly in Jabaliya, where Hamas is said to have regrouped, has complicated aid distribution efforts. Other affected areas include Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, located just north of Gaza City.

90 per cent of population in Gaza displaced

The aid delivery came just days before a US deadline for Israel to improve its aid deliveries across Gaza, or face the risk of losing access to American military funding. The US has demanded that Israel allow at least 350 trucks carrying essential supplies to enter Gaza every day.

A recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that famine is imminent in parts of northern Gaza. COGAT dismissed the IPC report, claiming it relied on "partial, biased data and superficial sources with vested interests."

The UN estimates that tens of thousands of people remain in northern Gaza, where emergency services have been non-functional owing to the ongoing conflict. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that no ambulances or emergency medical teams are operating in the region.

The conflict has left 90 percent of Gaza's population displaced, with Israeli airstrikes continuing to hit schools and refugee camps, where displaced Palestinians have taken shelter. The Israeli military accuses Hamas of using civilian infrastructure - such as schools, hospitals, and UN facilities - to operate from.

More than a year of fighting has resulted in over 43,000 deaths, according to Palestinian health officials. While they do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, more than half of the reported deaths have been women and children.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants launched a deadly attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people - most of them civilians - and taking 250 others hostage.

(With AP inputs)