US to host Qatari, Turkish and Egyptian officials for Gaza ceasefire talks

As efforts to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, even as Israel repeatedly breaks the truce on the ground, Steve Witkoff, the United States Middle East envoy, will meet with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye in Miami, Florida.

A White House official confirmed to Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Witkoff will meet with representatives from the three nations to discuss the status of the peace agreement, which would put an end to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty will attend the meeting, according to Axios’ reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a restricted security consultation to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire and possible scenarios, according to Israel’s public broadcaster, quoting an Israeli official.

If US President Donald Trump were to withdraw from the Gaza process, Israel might launch a new military campaign, the official said, acknowledging that Trump wants to maintain calm in the region.

Israeli attacks have continued almost uninterrupted despite Washington’s insistence that the ceasefire is still in place because it is preventing the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.

Only 11 days of the 69 days since the truce have been reported without any reported deaths, injuries, or violence, according to an Al Jazeera analysis. Israeli forces have attacked Gaza on 58 of those days.

Trump, a top US official, announced on Thursday that Netanyahu would likely visit him in Florida over the holiday season as the US president called for the start of the second phase of the agreement.

“Yes, he’ll likely stop by Florida to see me. He wants to meet me. He wants to meet me, Trump told reporters, “even though we haven’t yet set the dates.”

Following the devastating two-year genocide in Gaza, Qatar and Egypt have pressed for a transition to the second phase of the agreement. A full Israeli military withdrawal is included in the plan, as is the deployment of an international stabilization force (ISF).

weakened occupation, fragile truce

The prime minister of Qatar called for urgent progress in the negotiation process to put an end to Israel’s bloody occupation of the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, as he warned that daily Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire are threatening the entire agreement.

Sheikh Mohammed appealed in Washington following discussions with Marco Rubio, the secretary of state of the United States, who argued that “delays and ceasefire violations endanger the entire process and put mediators in a difficult position.”

In light of Israeli violations and Gaza’s rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, Palestinians and rights organizations claim that the ceasefire is only a ceasefire in name.

Israel has repeatedly broken the truce, killing hundreds of Palestinians, since it became effective on October 10, 2025.

Between October 10 and December 12, Israel, according to the government media office in Gaza, carried out at least 738 violations, including direct shootings, air strikes, and artillery fire.

According to the Israeli military, they shot at civilians 205 times, shelled or bombed Gaza 358 times, destroyed property 138 times, and detained 43 Palestinians, according to the office.

Additionally, Israel has continued to systematically destroy homes and infrastructure while preventing essential humanitarian aid.

According to an Israeli security official, the so-called “yellow line” now marks Israel’s new border inside Gaza, adding that Israeli forces won’t leave unless Hamas is disarmed, according to Israel Hayom. The army is planning to remain there indefinitely, according to the official.

Additionally, according to the newspaper, Israeli military leaders are proposing continuing to rule half of Gaza, which highlights Israel’s alleged desire to bolster its position rather than pursue a genuine ceasefire.

A massive storm that recently struck the Strip has caused at least 13 people to die as a result of torrential rains and fierce winds flooded tents and knocked down damaged buildings in Gaza, adding to the already dire state.

Source: Aljazeera