Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed said that while Israel's continued bombardment of Gaza "narrows the window for a successful outcome," efforts are being made to mediate to ensure a new moratorium is brokered and more hostages held by Hamas are released.
Speaking at the Doha Forum on Sunday (10 December), Mohammed said: "Qatar and our partners are continuing their efforts and we will not give up. The constant bombing has only narrowed our window. ”
Qatar was a key mediator in the negotiations, which eventually brokered a seven-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The moratorium ended earlier this month.
"We will continue, we are committed to releasing the hostages and stopping the war, but we do not see the same will on both sides," Mohammadi said. He added that an entire generation in the Middle East is at risk of becoming radical as a result of the war in Gaza.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking at the Doha forum, said the Security Council was "paralyzed by geostrategic differences" that were undermining the resolution of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
He said the agency's "authority and credibility have been seriously undermined by its slow response to the war" two days after the United States vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
"I urge the Security Council to put pressure to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and reiterate my call for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared," Guterres said. Regrettably, the Council has not been able to do so. I can assure you that I will not give up. ”
"We are at serious risk of the collapse of the humanitarian system," Guterres stressed. The situation is rapidly deteriorating into a catastrophe that could have irreversible consequences for the Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region. ”