Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani confirmed today, Wednesday, that negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are going through sensitive circumstances.

He said in a press conference with his Romanian counterpart in the capital, Doha, "We are going through a sensitive phase and faltering in putting an end to the suffering of the people in Gaza and recovering the hostages."

Stressing that "the policy of siege and starvation against the Palestinians cannot be allowed to continue," he noted that "it is not right to continue the policy of collective punishment and continuous escalation in the West Bank."

The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister called on all parties to reduce the escalation and avoid the region sliding into a new cycle of conflict.

He believed that "there is a discrepancy in positions regarding Gaza and duplication in the positions of some countries in evaluating the conflicts," stressing the necessity of a lasting solution and lasting peace by establishing an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.