The US President, Donald Trump, and the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, are scheduled to meet on Wednesday evening to discuss the Gaza ceasefire deal, reported Reuters citing the White House.
Trump will host the Qatari Prime Minister for dinner at the White House, according to the daily schedule for the President. The meeting takes place as Trump pushes for progress in the proposed 60-day truce and hostage-release deal.
Trump and Sheikh Mohammed will also discuss efforts to resume talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program.
Qatar has been a key mediator, alongside the US and Egypt, in the indirect talks between Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release the remaining Israeli hostages.
The latest round of negotiations have been taking place in Doha since July 6 over a US-backed 60-day truce that would pave the way for further negotiations to end the war. However, the talks have not achieved a breakthrough, as both sides accuse each other of blocking the deal.
The most sticking issue is the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas demands a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, while Israel wants to keep troops in more than 40% of the enclave.
On Sunday, Trump expressed hope that a ceasefire deal in Gaza would be finalized this week. “Gaza — we are talking and hopefully we’re going to get that straightened out over the next week,” the US President told reporters.
The war in Gaza, which broke out in October 7, 2023, has so far killed over 58,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 139,600 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
