Qatari FM Meets with Lebanese Officials

President Michel Aoun meets with Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at Baabda Palace. Dalati and Nohra photo
President Michel Aoun meets with Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at Baabda Palace. Dalati and Nohra photo
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Qatari FM Meets with Lebanese Officials

President Michel Aoun meets with Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at Baabda Palace. Dalati and Nohra photo
President Michel Aoun meets with Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at Baabda Palace. Dalati and Nohra photo

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani kicked off Tuesday an official visit to Beirut, where he met with high-ranking officials to discuss Lebanon’s political impasse.

The Qatari FM held talks at Baabda Palace with President Michel Aoun, who said Doha has always stood by Lebanon, adding that any step taken to help resolve the current crisis is welcomed and appreciated by the Lebanese.

The Qatari official also met with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh, but he left without making any statement.

Furthermore, he held talks with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, whose press office announced that discussions between them “touched on the general situation, the latest political developments, and means to bolster bilateral relations.”

In addition to his meeting with politicians, the Qatari minister held talks with Lebanese Army chief General Joseph Aoun at his office in Yarzeh.



Hamas Says it Will Free 6 Living Israeli Hostages on Saturday

Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza hold banners and photos during a protest near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem on September 30 (EPA)
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza hold banners and photos during a protest near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem on September 30 (EPA)
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Hamas Says it Will Free 6 Living Israeli Hostages on Saturday

Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza hold banners and photos during a protest near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem on September 30 (EPA)
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza hold banners and photos during a protest near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem on September 30 (EPA)

A top Hamas leader says the group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday.

The six are the last living hostages set to be freed under the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Three hostages had been expected to be freed on Saturday, The AP reported.

The warring sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in which Hamas would release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya announced the decision in prerecorded remarks on Tuesday.

The releases have come in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.