Qatar says ‘momentum’ building back up in Gaza ceasefire efforts 

A month after suspending its mediation bid, Qatar has said it sees “momentum” in efforts to reach a deal to end Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, as dozens of Palestinians were killed in the Israeli military’s continued attacks on the besieged enclave.

Speaking at the Doha Forum on Saturday, Qatari Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the country took a step back from mediating Gaza ceasefire talks because it failed to see “a real willingness” to end the war.

But the minister said that after the United States presidential election on November 5, Qatar has sensed “that the momentum is coming back”.

“We have seen a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration [of US President-elect Donald Trump] in order to achieve a deal even before the president comes [into] office” in January, Al Thani said.

“And that actually made us [try] … to put it back on track. We’ve been engaging in the past couple of weeks,” he added.

Efforts to end Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 44,600 Palestinians since early October 2023, have foundered, with critics accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of stymying the negotiations.

The administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden, which has repeatedly said it is pushing for an end to the fighting in Gaza but refuses to condition US aid to Israel, also has faced criticism for failing to secure a ceasefire.

The US provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in military aid annually, and the Biden administration has authorised $14bn in further assistance to its ally since the war began last year.

Trump – who, like Biden, is a staunch supporter of Israel – this week warned that “there will be hell to pay” if captives held in Gaza are not released by the time he enters the White House on January 20.

“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” he wrote on social media.

Meanwhile, medical sources in Gaza told Al Jazeera Arabic on Saturday that 39 Palestinians were killed since dawn in Israeli attacks across the bombarded territory, including a strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp that killed at least 26 people.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said the attack on the refugee camp targeted a building in a densely populated area housing displaced families.

“People have been buried under tonnes of debris,” said Abu Azzoum, adding that rescuers and residents were still searching through the rubble for possible survivors as well as bodies that can be taken for burial.

The Israeli military also has laid siege to Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, as well as the surrounding area.

Footage verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency showed Israeli forces firing on a Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulance near the hospital.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), said an international medical team “was forced to self-evacuate” amid the deteriorating security situation at Kamal Adwan Hospital.

He said in a social media post on Saturday that “displaced people, caregivers, and many injured patients began fleeing the hospital and panic spread” but that 90 patients and 66 medical staff remained at the facility.

“Kamal Adwan is minimally functional, but this latest incident further threatens its ability to remain operational. It is one of the last lifelines for the people of northern Gaza. We urgently call for the immediate protection of healthcare facilities and an end to the hostilities!” he wrote.

Back in Doha, the Qatari prime minister said the Gulf country was working to protect the negotiation process “to make sure that we can achieve a meaningful result”.

“We hope to get things done as soon as possible. We hope that the willingness of the parties to engage in good faith continues in the same manner,” Al Thani said.

“It’s all about the main questions: Is there a willingness to end the war? Yes or no. Is there a willingness to have an exchange deal? Yes or no,” he added.

“Those are two very simple questions with very simple answers. If the answers are yes on both questions then we have a deal.”