DOHA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's Foreign Ministry affirmed on Tuesday that mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza are ongoing despite the difficulty of the situation.
"We are still working to find new opportunities to reach a ceasefire agreement and to achieve a deal that leads to lasting peace in Gaza. We will continue our communication with all parties," Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al Ansari told a media briefing.
The joint mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States remain focused on ending the conflict in Gaza, Al Ansari said.
He urged the international community to intensify efforts to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and stressed that humanitarian aid must not be used as a bargaining chip or a negotiation tool.
"Israel's policy of using aid as a weapon must stop," he said.
Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, following the expiration of the first phase of a January ceasefire agreement with Hamas. It resumed attacks on Gaza on March 18, which have so far killed more than 2,500 Palestinians.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that under a plan approved by his security cabinet, Israel would expand the offensive to seize Gaza, control aid, and relocate the population to the south of the enclave, with the aim to "defeat Hamas and, in the process, secure the release of the hostages."
Earlier on Tuesday, a senior Hamas official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that Hamas had ruled out entering any new ceasefire or prisoner exchange negotiations with Israel without firm guarantees that the war will end. ■
