Mediators Qatar, Egypt call for next steps in Gaza truce

QATAR and Egypt, guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called at the weekend for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilisation force as the necessary next steps in fully implementing the fragile agreement.

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The measures were spelt out in the USand UN-backed peace plan that has largely halted fighting, though the warring parties have yet to agree on how to move forward from the deal’s first phase.

Its initial steps saw Israeli troops pull back behind a so-called “yellow line” within Gaza’s borders, while Palestinian militant group Hamas released the living hostages it still held and handed over the remains 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) there is stability back in Gaza,” Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference.

Qatar, alongside Egypt and the US, helped secure the long-elusive truce, which remains delicate as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching its terms.

Key sticking points have also emerged over the implementation of the second phase, which has yet to begin, including the question of Hamas’ disarmament.