Qatar’s prime minister said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled Gaza peace plan requires clarifications and further negotiations, particularly regarding Israeli troop withdrawal, as questions grow over whether the proposal can end the war.
“The plan is still in its initial stages and needs to be further developed and explained,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told Doha-based Al Jazeera, noting that several issues “require clarification and negotiation.” He emphasized that while the plan sets out the goal of ending Israel’s war on Gaza, the details of implementation remain unclear.
Trump’s 20-point proposal, announced Monday at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the disarmament of Hamas, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian governing committee.
Sheikh Mohammed said Doha has not yet received Hamas’ response to the plan and stressed that consensus among Palestinian factions is essential. He added that mediators Qatar and Egypt had made clear to Hamas during a meeting that their main priority is stopping the war.
“The main focus for Qatar now is how to end the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza,” he said, citing famine, killings and displacement caused by Israel’s ongoing assault. He underlined that Arab and Islamic countries are striving “to ensure that Palestinians remain on their land and achieve a two-state solution,” adding that negotiations will not yield “perfect language” but must be built upon to achieve progress.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, leaving Gaza uninhabitable and pushing the population into starvation and disease.
