Gaza ceasefire deal at a ‘critical moment’, mediator Qatar says

Qatar’s PM, Turkish FM speaking at Doha Forum urge urgent progress to next phase as Gaza truce violations mount.Published On 6 Dec 2025Doha, Qatar – Qatar’s prime minister has warned that the Gaza ceasefire is at a “critical moment” and could unravel without rapid movement towards a permanent peace deal, as Turkiye’s foreign minister also cautioned that the process could lose momentum.Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told the Doha Forum on Saturday that what exists on the ground amounts to merely a “pause” in hostilities rather than a genuine ceasefire.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump gets FIFA’s new peace prizelist 2 of 3Palestinian groups express ‘grave concerns’ over Marwan Barghouti’s safetylist 3 of 3Arab, Muslim nations reject Israel exit-only plan for Gaza’s Rafah crossingend of listHe said a true ceasefire “cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal” of Israeli forces, alongside restored stability and freedom of movement for Palestinians, none of which have materialised.Turkiye’s top diplomat Hakan Fidan echoed that message at the forum, saying that without timely United States intervention, the peace process risks stalling entirely.Fidan said that senior US officials “need to intervene in a timely manner so that we can go into the second phase, otherwise we can lose momentum”, adding that Hamas has largely fulfilled its obligations on returning captives.Only one captive’s body is still in Gaza, as all living captives and the remains of all the rest have been handed to Israeli authorities.Their warnings come as Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza continues unabated, with some 600 violations of the ceasefire in the last seven weeks, and with three Palestinians killed on Saturday in the latest Israeli attack in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.Israel has killed at least 360 Palestinians since the October 10 ceasefire began, according to Gaza authorities. Among the dead are at least 70 children, UNICEF has reported, adding that the ceasefire “must translate into genuine safety for children, not more loss”.