Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari said at a press conference in Doha that "the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip is ongoing and is man-made," referring to Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, began a war of extermination in Gaza, which left more than 71,000 martyrs and 171,000 wounded Palestinians, most of them children and women.
The first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel began on October 10, but the latter violates it daily, resulting in the martyrdom of 447 Palestinians.
Israel also severely restricts the entry of food, medicine, medical supplies, shelter materials and prefabricated homes into Gaza, where some 2.4 million Palestinian citizens, including 1.5 million displaced people, live in catastrophic conditions.
Al-Ansari stressed that "humanitarian aid should not be used as a bargaining chip, and the international community should put pressure on the occupation," and pointed out the failure to reopen the Rafah land crossing from the Palestinian side between Gaza and Egypt, and the prevention of aid from entering from the Israeli side as well.
Since May 2024, Israel has occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing, destroyed and burned its buildings, and prevented Palestinians from leaving to receive medical treatment or returning to their lands.
Al-Ansari added: "Therefore, Qatar is working with its mediation partners (Egypt and Turkey) to expedite reaching the second phase (of the agreement), which ensures more aid enters."
"Technocrat Committee"
Earlier today, Egypt and Qatar discussed the situation in Gaza and stressed the importance of announcing the formation of a technocrat committee in the sector, within the framework of the ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since October 10.
This came during a telephone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The Foreign Ministry said the two ministers discussed "developments in the Gaza Strip, where they addressed the ongoing efforts to advance the implementation of the requirements of the second phase of US President Donald Trump's plan."
They stressed "the importance of announcing the formation of the interim Palestinian technocratic committee to manage the affairs of the sector, in parallel with the formation of the international stabilization force," and emphasized "ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid and creating the climate for early recovery and reconstruction."
The ceasefire agreement in Gaza is based on a plan put forward by US President Donald Trump, which also includes a prisoner exchange, the disarmament of Hamas, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the formation of a technocratic government, and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
Israel is conditioning the start of the second phase on receiving the remains of the last prisoner in Gaza, while Hamas says that searching for and extracting them may take time given the massive destruction caused by the war of extermination.
In 1948, Israel was established on lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs who committed massacres and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Tel Aviv then occupied the rest of the Palestinian territories and refuses to withdraw and allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.
