DOHA (Realist English). Qatar and Egypt, acting as guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called on Saturday for Israel to withdraw its remaining forces from the enclave and for an international stabilisation contingent to be deployed — measures they described as indispensable for implementing the fragile truce.
Speaking at the Doha Forum, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said mediators are pushing to move the agreement into its next phase, which envisions an Israeli pullback, the creation of an interim governing authority in Gaza, and the arrival of a multinational force. Israel and Hamas have yet to agree on how to proceed beyond the initial stage of the truce.
Under that first phase, Israeli troops repositioned behind a designated “yellow line” inside Gaza, while Hamas released the remaining living hostages and returned the bodies of all but one of the captives who had died.
“Now we are at a critical moment. What we have so far is only a pause,” Al Thani told participants. “A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is full withdrawal of Israeli forces and stability restored in Gaza, with people free to move — which is not the case today.”
Qatar, working alongside Egypt and the United States, helped broker the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October. Despite the agreement, Israeli strikes have continued, with local Palestinian authorities accusing Israel of more than 600 violations that have killed over 360 people and wounded about 900. On Saturday, officials in Gaza reported five deaths from Israeli fire in Beit Lahia and Jabalia.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed that the envisioned stabilisation force must be deployed quickly, citing daily ceasefire violations by Israel. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country also acts as a guarantor, said talks on the mission’s composition and leadership remain unresolved. He argued that the force’s primary purpose should be to physically separate Israelis and Palestinians.
Abdelatty supported stationing the mission along the “yellow line” to monitor compliance. Turkey has signalled readiness to participate, but Israel has objected to Turkish involvement. Fidan added that disarming Hamas should not be an immediate priority, saying the process must follow a realistic sequence: “That cannot be the first thing to do.”
