Qatar positions itself as actor that ‘will act as bridge’, ‘has relationships with everybody’

Israel and Hamas are inching toward a new deal that would free some of the roughly 130 hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a six-week long pause in the war, now in its fifth month. In a protracted bid to broker a truce, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been putting proposals to the warring parties, with negotiations still ongoing. They are seeking a six-week halt to the fighting and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel sparked the war. US President Joe Biden says a deal could go into effect as early as Monday, ahead of what is seen as an unofficial deadline — the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, around March 10. A deal would bring some respite to desperate people in Gaza, who have borne a staggering toll, as well as to the anguished families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. As a deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be taking shape, FRANCE 24’s Tom Burges Watson is joined by Jasmine El-Gamal, Political Analyst and former Middle East advisor to the United States Department of Defense.