If news out of Doha and Cairo seemed sparse lately, it wasn’t just your imagination. For the last several months, mediators in both capitals attempted to craft a deal between Hamas and Israel to pause hostilities and exchange hostages for prisoners. The US put a lot of pressure on all sides to come up with a formula for another temporary cease-fire, only to run up against a hard reality – neither side will agree to their own destruction.
Qatar’s prime minister today announced that nothing has changed in the lengthy stalemate. He also blamed the current impasse on Israel’s launch of the long-awaited Rafah operation targeting the estimated four brigades Hamas has hidden in the city:
Talks over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached a stalemate due to Israel’s operations in Rafah, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Tuesday. …
“Especially in the past…
