ISTANBUL: Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday discussed mediation efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip, the Emiri Diwan said. Strategic relations were discussed during a phone call Sheik Tamim received from Blinken, hours after the top US diplomat left Doha, it added in a statement. The discussions also took up developments in the Palestinian territories and joint mediation efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip, the statement said. Blinken left Doha late Tuesday at the end of a regional tour that also included Israel and Egypt to advance efforts aimed at reaching a cease-fire in Gaza. It was not officially announced that Blinken had met Tamim or Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during his short visit to Qatar. Early Wednesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said bin Abdulrahman had a phone call with Blinken to discuss Gaza cease-fire efforts. For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement betwe en Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to meet Hamas's demands to stop the war. Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. The Israeli onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and nearly 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities. The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins. Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6. Source: Anadolu Agency
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