Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The Gaza ceasefire talks were held up by “meaningless things” that meant it took more than a year to turn a framework for a truce into a deal between Israel and Hamas, mediator Qatar said on Tuesday.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said his country felt sorry for the time wasted in negotiations. Qatari, Egyptian and US diplomats mediated the deal agreed last week to end more than a year of continued fighting in Gaza since a short-lived ceasefire in late 2023.
“Just calculating the days since the collapse of the first ceasefire that we brokered back in November 2023, it was 411 days of ups and downs,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “When we look at and reflect on what we have achieved in the last few days, we felt really sorry for all the time that we wasted in these negotiations.
“The framework that we agreed on in December [2023] is the one that's been realised a couple of days ago,” he said. “It means there was just a year of negotiating details, and honestly some meaningless things compared to the lives of the people that they have lost.”
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar's Foreign Minister, expressed hope in Davos that “calculations will be different” in the next stage of talks. “There is still a long way to go,” he said. “It won't be an easy negotiation but I hope it will not be as difficult as what we have been through.”
Hamas freed three Israeli hostages on Sunday as part of a 42-day first phase in which thousands of Palestinian detainees in Israel are also due for release. The second phase would involve the release of all remaining hostages and the third would see the UN, Qatar and Egypt oversee rebuilding efforts.
US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden both claimed credit for getting the ceasefire deal over the line. Sheikh Mohammed said the final days of negotiations showed a “determination to find solutions” from Mr Trump's incoming foreign policy team.
He warned that the destruction in Gaza may be even worse than yet seen in the media as he predicted that “uglier images” will emerge. In satellite images “it’s something horrific when you look at it and you see this small strip that is very highly dense in population being destroyed to that level”, he said.
As Palestinians seek funds to rebuild “we cannot have an investment where we are investing in the reconstruction every time and something happens and it just gets destroyed and we do it again”, Sheikh Mohammed said. “There is now a huge requirement and huge pressure on all of us to look at sustainable solutions where we can sustain peace, where we can also give assurances and comfort to countries to understand that these investments will not go to waste.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Continental champions
Best Asian Player: Massaki Todokoro (Japan)
Best European Player: Adam Wardzinski (Poland)
Best North & Central American Player: DJ Jackson (United States)
Best African Player: Walter Dos Santos (Angola)
Best Oceanian Player: Lee Ting (Australia)
Best South American Player: Gabriel De Sousa (Brazil)
Best Asian Federation: Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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