Qatar's emir hopes Gaza cease-fire will end ‘destruction, killing’

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said Wednesday that he hopes the Gaza cease-fire agreement will contribute to ending the suffering in the Palestinian enclave.

"We hope that the announcement of the Gaza cease-fire agreement will help end the aggression, destruction and killing in the (Gaza) Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories and mark the beginning of a new phase where this just cause is no longer marginalized, with serious efforts made to achieve a fair resolution in accordance with international legitimacy," he said on his X account.

Al Thani emphasized that "Qatar's diplomatic role in achieving this agreement is our humanitarian duty before being a political one, and we thank Egypt and the United States for their appreciated efforts."

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani confirmed the agreement at a news conference in the capital Doha, which will come into effect on Sunday.

He outlined the first phase, which will last for 42 days and include the release of 33 Israeli detainees in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners.

The announcement comes on day 467 of Israel's genocide against Gaza, which with US backing has killed and wounded more than 156,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The war has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters in recent times.