'Soft power on steroids': How Qatar's efforts saved Israel-Palestine truce deal

The deal seemed on the verge of unravelling. Hamas had accused Israel of failing to keep its side of the bargain, and Israel was threatening to resume its lethal onslaught on besieged Gaza where it has killed around 15,000 Palestinians in 53 days.

That was the point at which a Qatari jet landed at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport on Saturday. Negotiators aboard set to work, seeking to save the ceasefire deal between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas before it fell apart and scuttled weeks of high-stakes diplomatic wrangling.

The first public visit by Qatari officials to Israel marked an extraordinary moment for the two countries, which have no official diplomatic relations. It also underscored the major role of the Gulf nation in bridging differences between the enemies.

"This is something we’ve never seen before," Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said of the Qataris' stay in Israel.

"It’s the only external actor in the world with that much leverage on Hamas, because of its many years of support."

The weekend mission was successful, and most of the team jetted home.

But several Qatari mediators stayed behind to work with Israeli intelligence officials on extending the four-day truce, which was set to end on Tuesday morning, according to a diplomat briefed on the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity.

Those efforts apparently paid off, as Qatar's Foreign Ministry announced Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their ceasefire for two more days past Monday, raising the prospects of a longer halt to the war.

With its close ties to the United States, its communication with Israel since 1995, and its support of blockaded Gaza to the tune of what estimates suggest is more than $1 billion since 2014, Qatar is uniquely positioned to break deadlocks in the ceasefire talks, which also involve the US and Egypt.

"We need Qatar," Guzansky said of Israel, noting that other Arab countries increasingly have interests in Israel and are normalising their relations.

"Qatar is seen as the only player in the Arab world that is loyal to the Palestinian cause."

'Part of the policy'

Qatari officials say they are guided by a desire to reduce conflict, though their ties with a range of groups, including Hamas resistance group, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Taliban in Afghanistan, have drawn criticism from Israel, some US lawmakers and neighbouring Arab governments.

"This is soft power on steroids, mobilised for America's interest," said Patrick Theros, a former US ambassador to Qatar. "Hosting organisations which the United States cannot be seen talking to is part of this policy."

In the Israel-Hamas captive negotiations, Qatari mediators, joined by those from Egypt and the US, faced the task of getting the warring sides to put faith in diplomacy when trust was sub-zero.

Qatari officials resorted to face‐to‐face meetings with Israeli officials to try to save the deal, according to the diplomat.

A few hours with Mossad officials in Tel Aviv proved crucial on Saturday. Suddenly, the deal was back on.

Qatar's Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lolwah Al Khater, became the first foreign official to visit the besieged Gaza on Sunday.

She used the pause in fighting to survey the disputed influx of aid, meet wounded Palestinians and talk with Wael al Dahdouh, Gaza bureau chief of Qatari-funded Al Jazeera, who lost his wife, son and grandchild in an Israeli air strike.

The pan-Arab broadcaster, which has more cameras in Gaza than any other news outlet, has dominated Arabic coverage of the war.

Despite their differences, both Israel and Hamas have an interest in prolonging calm.

Even as bigger questions mount over what happens after the war, a Qatari official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations said his country stays focused on what's immediately possible, such as maintaining the ceasefire and preventing a regional war that draws in Hamas' Iranian patrons or Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters.

A steady stream of officials have passed through Doha to that end, including Iran's foreign minister, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister and the director of the CIA.