Qatari premier meets Hamas chief, urges end to Israeli Gaza aggression

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Wednesday held urgent talks with Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya in Doha, calling for an immediate cessation of Israeli military escalations in the besieged Gaza Strip. The meeting convened hours after Israeli airstrikes killed nine Palestinians, including police officers, at a Gaza City police station, according to a statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar's foreign minister, welcomed Hamas' "decision to accept the roadmap for completing the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip," expressing hope that the move would contribute to "ending the suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza and fulfilling their aspirations for security and stability."

Hamas accuses Israel of violations

Al-Hayya warned that Israel is "continuing its criminal policy and is undeterred by all mediation efforts and guarantees," arguing that continued violations place mediators and guarantors under "a major and pivotal responsibility." He urged the mediators to take concrete action to compel Tel Aviv to halt its aggression and protect the ceasefire agreement from collapse, according to the ministry statement.

Death toll mounts

The diplomatic push comes as the Gaza ceasefire — brokered to halt hostilities since Oct. 10, 2025 — faces mounting strain from Israeli army violations that have killed at least 1,273 Palestinians and injured 4,223 others, according to the latest figures from Gaza's Health Ministry. The truce follows Israel's two-year war on Gaza that has killed more than 73,000 people and wounded over 174,000 others since October 2023.