Building peace: Qatar is ready to invest in the reconstruction of Gaza

Qatar is ready to join the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the signing of the peace agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, the ambassador of the Middle Eastern state to Russia, Ahmed bin Nasser bin Jasim Al Thani, told Izvestia. According to him, Doha has already deployed a special commission to provide assistance, and the agreements reached in Egypt give hope for the beginning of a comprehensive peace process in the Middle East. The diplomat noted that the agreement paves the way for the creation of a Palestine co-existing with Israel in peace and security. The situation in Gaza remains tense. Hamas said it had handed over to Israel all the available bodies of the hostages, but special equipment was needed to extract the remains of 19 more.

How Doha dealt with mediation in Gaza

The State of Qatar has provided support to the civilian population of Gaza since the beginning of the conflict and is ready to continue this mission. Doha will take part in the restoration of the exclave, the country's ambassador to Russia, Ahmed bin Nasser bin Jasim Al Thani, told Izvestia.

— Qatar was at the forefront of the countries that supported the civilian population of Gaza. We have a special commission called the Qatar Commission for the Reconstruction of Gaza, which, on the instructions of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, provides assistance in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which has experienced more than one war in recent years and has been subjected to enormous destruction," said the head of the diplomatic mission. — Of course, Qatar will also participate in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip this time.

The ambassador recalled that at the peace summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, the Emir of Qatar, the Presidents of the United States, Donald Trump, Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed an agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip with the participation of the leaders of more than 20 countries. According to him, this event has become historic and is of great importance for the entire Middle East.

— The signing of this agreement reflected the triumph of the will for peace over violence. It gives us great hopes for the beginning of a comprehensive peace process in the Middle East," said Ahmed Nasser Al Thani.

According to him, this agreement also opens the way to a two-State solution to the Palestinian problem and the creation of a State of Palestine capable of peaceful coexistence with Israel.

The Ambassador recalled that Qatar, together with Egypt, had assumed a key mediation role between the parties to the conflict from the very beginning. This work was carried out under the leadership of the Emir in cooperation with international and regional mediators, as well as in coordination with the United States.

— The Emir personally participated in the high-level negotiations with the leaders of the states concerned. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abderrahman Al Thani also paid special attention to this issue, and he personally participated in Qatar's mediation efforts to bring the parties' positions closer, the ambassador noted.

As a result of joint efforts, the parties to the conflict have adopted US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, the diplomat added.

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Search for bodies of hostages in Gaza

The situation in Gaza is extremely difficult. Hamas officials said they had handed over to Israel all the bodies of the hostages they had access to, but specialized equipment was needed to extract the remains of 19 more people. Israel doubts this and has informed the United States that, according to its data, the movement may have access to more bodies.

The American administration, on the contrary, urges restraint and notes that Hamas generally fulfills its obligations under the agreement. Washington does not rule out the possibility of offering a reward to the Palestinians who will help in the search for the bodies of the hostages.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas pledged to hand over all 48 living and dead hostages in exchange for the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. This week, the movement handed over to Israel 20 survivors and the bodies of nine dead.

Speaking to reporters, Donald Trump said that Hamas is looking for the remaining dead hostages held in Gaza. "It's a terrible process... they dig the ground and find a lot of bodies. Then they have to separate these bodies," he told reporters in the Oval Office.

"Some of these bodies have been lying there for a very long time, and some are under the rubble. They have to sort through the rubble," he continued. "Some are in tunnels... deep underground."

American officials note that a significant part of the territory of Gaza has been destroyed, which makes it difficult to search. Turkey, according to Al-Monitor's sources, is considering sending search and rescue teams to Gaza, but no final decision has been made yet.

On the edge of the world: the Gas deal ran into problems on the very first day

Disputes over the transfer of the bodies of the dead hostages and the disarmament of Hamas threaten to undermine the compromise reached.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on October 16 that his country intends to achieve all the goals of the war in the Gaza Strip, which include the elimination of the power of the Palestinian Hamas movement and its disarmament.

At the same time, Egypt is preparing to hold an international conference on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which is expected to be held in Cairo in November. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed that the forum should give impetus to the implementation of the agreements reached in Sharm el-Sheikh and attract international assistance to rebuild the devastated region.

Although Russia was not a party to the Gaza deal, Moscow is ready to help the Palestinians and provide all necessary assistance. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said this on October 16, answering a question from Izvestia.

In addition, he noted that since the beginning of the conflict, Moscow has been making efforts to contribute to the provision of humanitarian assistance.