Qatar: Complications Facing the Gaza Agreement and Involved Parties with Mediators to Reopen Rafah Crossing

SadaNews: The spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed today, Monday, that there are a number of complications that require additional efforts regarding the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that Doha is engaged with mediators to reopen the Rafah crossing and deliver humanitarian aid.

The spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majid Al-Ansari, added in a press conference in Doha that Qatar is working with mediators in Egypt, Turkey, and the United States to ensure reaching the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

In response to a question about what the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported today regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Tel Aviv and Washington agree not to open the Rafah crossing until the last Israeli soldier’s body in Gaza is returned, the Qatari official stated that Doha "has called from the first day that humanitarian aid should not be a tool for political blackmail, which is unacceptable in the international community."

Netanyahu's remarks regarding the crossing come days after reports spoke about Israeli preparations to open it under an agreement between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, which stipulated opening the crossing from both sides after the Israeli Prime Minister returned from Washington a few days ago.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority mentioned last Thursday that American pressure to open the crossing continued over the past days and expected that the official announcement for its opening would be made within days.

Since May 2024, Israel has occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing after destroying its facilities and preventing travel through it, causing a suffocating humanitarian crisis, especially for patients and the injured due to the ongoing Israeli genocide in the sector since October 2023.