Doha/Washington, October 31, 2025 – In a pivotal phone conversation on Thursday, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani engaged with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to underscore the urgent need for complete adherence to the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The discussion, as reported by Qatar's state news agency QNA, highlighted the deepening strategic partnership between Doha and Washington while addressing the precarious state of the truce that began on October 10, 2025.
The call comes at a critical juncture, just three weeks after the ceasefire's activation under the first phase of US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, which has been hailed as a potential turning point in the two-year Gaza conflict. Sheikh Mohammed emphasized the "importance of concerted regional and international efforts to ensure the full implementation of the agreement, and pave the way toward achieving sustainable peace and the desired stability in the region." Rubio, in turn, expressed gratitude for Qatar's mediation role in securing hostage releases and facilitating security cooperation, while stressing the necessity of advancing post-conflict governance and security arrangements in Gaza. The exchange also touched on broader mutual concerns, including Qatar's recent assistance in freeing two Americans detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, underscoring Doha's growing influence as a diplomatic bridge-builder.
This dialogue reflects a broader international scramble to stabilize the fragile truce, which has already seen partial successes but persistent violations. Since the agreement took effect, Hamas has released all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages—captured during the October 7, 2023, attacks that killed 1,200 people and triggered the war—in exchange for Israel's release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 arrested since the conflict's onset. These exchanges, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, the US, and Turkey, marked a rare humanitarian breakthrough, with families reuniting amid emotional scenes in Tel Aviv and Ramallah.
Hamas has also handed over the remains of 19 out of 28 deceased hostages, mostly Israelis, though Israel contested one body, claiming it did not match any listed captives—prompting accusations of deliberate delays or mishandling. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has conditioned negotiations for the ceasefire's second phase—encompassing full Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza's reconstruction—on the prompt return of all remains. Hamas, however, attributes the slowdown to Gaza's "massive destruction," where rubble-strewn landscapes and unexploded ordnance complicate recovery efforts, with at least 53 Palestinians killed and hundreds injured by such hazards since the truce began.
The ceasefire's implementation has not been without bloodshed. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli forces have killed 211 Palestinians and injured 597 others since October 10, including in retaliatory strikes that killed 104 people—46 of them children—in late October, the deadliest incident since the truce. Israel justified these actions as responses to alleged Hamas breaches, such as a soldier's killing in Rafah and the return of mismatched remains, while Hamas decried them as "treacherous escalations" violating the deal. The Israeli military has since reaffirmed its commitment to the truce but vowed "forceful responses" to future infractions.
To contextualize these developments, the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 hostages. Israel's subsequent military campaign has devastated the enclave, with the Gaza Health Ministry reporting over 68,500 Palestinian deaths—predominantly women and children—and more than 170,600 injuries as of late October 2025. Independent analyses, including a January 2025 Lancet study, suggest the true toll from traumatic injuries alone exceeded 70,000 by mid-2024, with indirect deaths from disease, malnutrition, and lack of medical care potentially pushing the figure far higher—up to 186,000 when accounting for long-term effects. The UN estimates that 92% of residential buildings and 88% of commercial facilities are damaged or destroyed, displacing nearly the entire 2.3 million population and creating a humanitarian catastrophe.
The October 2025 ceasefire emerged from intense negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, building on Trump's September 2025 20-point framework, which demands Hamas's disarmament, demilitarization of Gaza, and a new non-Hamas governance structure. Phase one, now largely fulfilled, involved an immediate halt to hostilities, partial Israeli troop withdrawal to a "yellow line" buffer zone (retaining control of about half of Gaza), surging humanitarian aid, and the hostage-prisoner swaps. The Rafah crossing reopened bidirectionally, facilitating aid inflows, though UN officials warn that reconstruction could cost $50 billion and take decades.
Yet, challenges abound. Netanyahu's far-right coalition, including figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir, has criticized the deal as insufficiently punitive toward Hamas, threatening government instability if phase two advances without total militant disarmament. Hamas leaders, including Khalil al-Hayya, have signaled willingness to cede governance but resist full disarmament without ironclad guarantees of Israeli withdrawal and aid commitments. An international stabilization force, potentially led by the US Central Command's Civil-Military Coordination Center, is proposed for postwar security, but details remain unresolved.
Qatar's role has been indispensable, hosting Hamas's political office and channeling over $1.8 billion in US-approved aid to Gaza since 2023, while Egypt coordinates border logistics. Sheikh Mohammed's recent press conference revealed Doha's pressure on Hamas to disarm, stating the group is "willing to cede power" but needs incentives for lasting peace. US envoy Steve Witkoff's upcoming Middle East trip, alongside Vice President JD Vance's planned Israel visit, signals Washington's hands-on approach to enforce compliance.
On the ground, the truce has brought tentative relief: aid convoys now deliver food, medicine, and fuel at unprecedented rates, with the World Health Organization resuming polio vaccinations for over 500,000 children. Displaced families in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah have begun returning home, though many tents remain amid warnings of winter storms exacerbating the crisis. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has pledged to "scale up" recovery efforts, calling the deal a "glimmer of hope" but cautioning against backsliding.
Critics, including human rights groups like Amnesty International, argue the agreement falls short by not immediately freeing all civilian detainees on both sides, urging releases independent of phase two talks. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has voiced support but demanded "until the last hostage" is home, while Palestinian factions warn of renewed violence if reconstruction stalls.
As negotiators eye phase two—set to begin 16 days after phase one's completion—the Qatari-US call injects renewed momentum. Trump, who brokered the framework, described it as a "blessed" peacemaking effort, though experts like those at the Costs of War Project emphasize the war's "unprecedented human toll," with over 10% of Gaza's population killed or injured. For now, the focus remains on de-escalation: locating the 12 remaining hostage remains, averting further strikes, and laying groundwork for a demilitarized Gaza under international oversight.
The path to "sustainable peace," as Sheikh Mohammed put it, is fraught but not impossible. With global leaders convening in Sharm El-Sheikh next week, the international community watches closely, hoping this truce evolves from a "fragile new normal" into enduring stability. Failure risks unraveling two years of devastation; success could redefine Middle East dynamics.
