Iran Informs Qatar of its Stance on Ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
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Iran Informs Qatar of its Stance on Ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian informed senior Qatari officials of his country's point of view on the war on the Gaza Strip, saying it was natural that the Iran loyalists will not remain silent in the face of all the Israeli crimes.

Amir-Abdollahian met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, where he conveyed a verbal message from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on several regional and international issues, especially the developments in the Palestinian territories.

The Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that Amir-Abdollahian also met with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

During the meeting, they discussed means of cooperation to advance an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territories, protect civilians, and prevent the expansion of violence and conflict in the region, which will have dire consequences for everyone.

The Qatari FM said he discussed with Amir-Abdollahian the escalations in Gaza and the West Bank and advancing ceasefire efforts.

He wrote in a post on the "X" platform: "We stressed intensifying efforts to prevent expanding conflict that will result in serious consequences for everyone."

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the Zionist regime continues to commit crimes against the defenseless people and impose a siege on Gaza.

"We are gradually witnessing an increase in reactions and the escalation and expansion of the scope of conflicts in the region," he added.

Before leaving Doha for Ankara, Amir-Abdollahian met with the head of the Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyeh, for the second time this month.

"It was necessary to use the latest political opportunities to stop the war, and if the situation goes out of control, no party will be safe from its consequences," the top official said, according to Iranian media.

He said the US was part of the war in Gaza, adding that Washington is in no position to ask others for restraint.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced that an immediate ceasefire is on the agenda of discussions between Iran and Qatar, stressing the need to halt the Zionist bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and send humanitarian aid.

Kanaani told reporters accompanying the Iranian delegation that the visit comes from Iranian regional consultations and international efforts to help end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

According to the spokesman, the two countries agreed that the current situation is unacceptable and expanding the scope of the conflict could affect everyone, pointing out that the situation in the region is on the verge of an explosion due to the crimes of the Zionist entity.

Qatar could convey Iran's message to concerned parties, said Kanaani, adding that Iran shared its point of view, and for it, the ceasefire and truce are an important humanitarian point.

Concerning the hostages, Kanaani said that the conditions in the Gaza Strip now do not allow for the release of some prisoners.

Kanaani accused the US of obstructing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the enclave because of its use of veto power against a Russian and a Brazilian resolution in the Security Council.

Iran issued several warnings and threats to Israel and the US, but it has so far refrained from revealing its position if the war between Israel and Hamas turns into a regional conflict, according to an analysis published by Agence France Presse.



UN Humanitarian Chief Slams Aid Plan for Gaza Proposed by Israel, Backed by US 

A Palestinian boy has a bite from a ration of hot food from a charity kitchen set up at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City on May 12, 2025.(AFP)
A Palestinian boy has a bite from a ration of hot food from a charity kitchen set up at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City on May 12, 2025.(AFP)
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UN Humanitarian Chief Slams Aid Plan for Gaza Proposed by Israel, Backed by US 

A Palestinian boy has a bite from a ration of hot food from a charity kitchen set up at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City on May 12, 2025.(AFP)
A Palestinian boy has a bite from a ration of hot food from a charity kitchen set up at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City on May 12, 2025.(AFP)

United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday criticized an Israel-initiated and US-backed humanitarian aid distribution plan for Gaza as a "fig leaf for further violence and displacement" of Palestinians in the war-torn enclave.

"It is cynical sideshow. A deliberate distraction," Fletcher told the UN Security Council.

No humanitarian aid has been delivered to Gaza since March 2, and a global hunger monitor has warned that half a million people face starvation, a quarter of the enclave's population.

Israel proposed last week that private companies would take over handing out aid in Gaza's south once an expanded Israeli offensive starts in its war there, which began in October 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel. Aid deliveries have been handled by international aid groups and UN organizations.

"We can save hundreds of thousands of survivors. We have rigorous mechanisms to ensure our aid gets to civilians and not to Hamas, but Israel denies us access, placing the objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians," said Fletcher.

Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies, and is blocking deliveries until Hamas releases all remaining hostages.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar, currently on an official visit to Japan, said on Wednesday that Israel endorsed what he called "the American humanitarian plan" under which aid would be provided by a private fund.

"It will go directly to the people. Hamas must not be allowed to get their hands on it," Saar said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has rejected Israel's proposal, saying in April it risked "further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour."

The UN says any aid distribution must be independent, impartial and neutral, in line with humanitarian principles.

Fletcher said the UN has met more than a dozen times with Israeli authorities about their proposed aid distribution model to find a solution but without success. Minimum conditions include the ability to deliver aid to all those in need wherever they are in Gaza, he said.

Amid the stalemate, the United States last week backed a mechanism for Gaza aid deliveries to be handled by private companies, an approach that appeared to resemble Israel's proposal, but gave few initial details about the plan.

"We will not allow the old, broken system to remain in place," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the council. "We appreciate the efforts to build a new mechanism, one grounded in accountability."

US WORKING WITH ISRAEL

Senior US officials were working with Israel to enable a newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to "provide a secure mechanism capable of delivering aid directly to those in need, without Hamas stealing, looting or leveraging this assistance for its own ends", acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the Security Council on Tuesday.

She urged the UN and aid groups to cooperate, saying the foundation would deliver aid consistent with humanitarian principles and would "ensure its own security so that commodities reach civilians in need".

"While some humanitarian organizations may ultimately choose not to engage in these conversations, others have chosen a more constructive path, and they will be able to deliver aid in an appropriate way, hopefully very soon," Shea said.

Fletcher said the Israeli-designed distribution model was not the answer. This was in part because Israel said it would limit aid distribution to south Gaza during its planned offensive and people would have to relocate to access aid there.

"It forces further displacement. It exposes thousands of people to harm," Fletcher told the council. "It restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet. It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip."

Most of the 15-member Security Council expressed concern about the proposed aid distribution plans.

"We cannot support any model that places political or military objectives above the needs of civilians. Or that undermines the UN and other partners' ability to operate independently," Britain, France, Slovenia, Greece and Denmark said in a joint statement before the council meeting.

The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 52,700 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.