Israel 'unwilling' to reach ceasefire agreement, Qatar says

Israel is “unwilling to reach an agreement,” having yet to respond to the ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas earlier this month, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“We are in contact with all parties in pursuit of a ceasefire agreement, but there is no official Israeli response – neither acceptance, rejection, nor the presentation of an alternative proposal,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said.

“We do not take seriously the media statements in Israel and are awaiting an official response to the proposal,” he added.

The statements come after Hamas informed Egypt and Qatar on 18 August that it had accepted the proposal and was prepared to resume negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza.