Qatar, Egypt call for next steps in truce

Mediators push for withdrawal of IDF

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for the withdrawal of Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and the deployment of an international stabilisation force as the next essential steps in fully implementing the fragile truce.

The measures form part of the USand UN-backed peace plan that has largely halted fighting, though Israel and Hamas have yet to agree on how to move beyond the deal’s first phase.

Under the initial steps, Israeli forces pulled back behind a so-called “yellow line” within Gaza, while Hamas released all remaining living hostages and returned the bodies of all but one of the deceased.

“Now we are at the critical moment... A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces (and) stability returns to Gaza,’ Qatari Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum.

Qatar, together with Egypt and the United States, helped broker the longawaited truce, which remains delicate as both sides accuse each other of violating its terms.

Key disagreements have also emerged over phase two of the plan — including Hamas's disarmament.

Hamas is required to disarm under the 20-point plan outlined by US President Donald Trump, with fighters who surrender their weapons permitted to leave Gaza. The group has repeatedly rejected the condition.