Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Mohammed al-Ansari has just told the BBC that a new proposal in the ceasefire talks may bridge the long-standing gap between the two opposing sides.
He tells me Qatar is encouraged by the recent proposal, adding: “if you ask me if I’m more optimistic today than I was a couple of days ago, I would say, yes.”
The Qatari spokesman says in a BBC News interview that Israel and Hamas were looking closely at the latest offer.
Al-Ansari, who is also an advisor to Qatar’s prime minister, says a myriad of proposals were now on the negotiating table, including a new American proposal.
He says pressure from the US would always be instrumental in the success of any talks. He did not go into details about the talks, but says he is hopeful they would soon reach agreement on the first phase of a three-phase ceasefire plan- with the first phase mainly focusing on humanitarian issues.
"We are by no means at the last stretch of the talks,” Al-Ansari cautions.
He adds that Qatar was encouraged by the increased entry of aid into Gaza, but it is still nowhere near what is needed.
Source: BBC
