Qatar, Egypt call for Israeli troop withdrawal

Mediators say next steps in Gaza truce necessary

DOHA:

Qatar and Egypt, guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called on Saturday for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilisation force as the necessary next steps in fully implementing the fragile agreement.

The measures were spelt out in the US- and UN-backed peace plan that has largely halted fighting, though the warring parties have yet to agree on how to move forward from the deal's first phase.

Its initial steps saw Israeli troops pull back behind a so-called "yellow line" within Gaza's borders, while Palestinian militant group Hamas released the living hostages it still held and handed over the remains of all but one of the deceased.

"Now we are at the critical moment... A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces (and) there is stability back in Gaza," Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference.

Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, helped secure the long-elusive truce, which remains delicate as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching its terms.

Key sticking points have also emerged over the implementation of the second phase, which has yet to begin, including the question of Hamas's disarmament.

Under the plan endorsed by the UN in November, Israel is to withdraw from its positions, Gaza is to be administered by a transitional governing body known as the "Board of Peace", and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.

"We need to deploy this force as soon as possible on the ground because one party, which is Israel, is every day violating the ceasefire," Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said at the Doha Forum.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement that Abdelatty and Sheikh Mohammed met on Saturday, with both stressing "the importance of continuing efforts to implement" the peace agreement.

Arab and Muslim nations, however, have been hesitant to participate in the new force, which could end up fighting Palestinian militants.

Meanwhile US President Donald Trump would theoretically chair the "Board of Peace", while the identities of the other members have yet to be announced.

Main objective

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the forum that talks on the stabilisation force were ongoing, with critical questions remaining as to its command structure and which countries would contribute.

But its first goal, Fidan said, "should be to separate Palestinians from the Israelis".

Abdelatty seconded the idea, calling for the force to be deployed along "the yellow line in order to verify and to monitor" the truce.

There have been multiple deadly incidents of Israeli forces firing on Palestinians in the vicinity of the yellow line since the ceasefire went into effect.