Mahmoud Abbas Arrives in Qatar for Ceasefire Talks on Gaza

Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, arrived in Doha on Sunday to discuss establishing a ceasefire in Gaza with the Emir of Qatar. Qatar is hosting political leaders of the Hamas militant group and is at the center of mediation efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Palestinian news agency 'Wafa' reported that Abbas will meet and discuss with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, on Monday. However, according to Reuters, Wafa did not mention whether Abbas would also meet with Hamas leaders. Hamas has long opposed Abbas and the Fatah group based in the West Bank. The Palestinian envoy to Qatar stated on Sunday to 'Palestine Voice Radio' that Abbas and the Emir will talk about efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and ways to increase aid to the 2.3 million people in the region. He said that 'Qatar plays an important role' in achieving a ceasefire, and coordination with Qatar and Egypt 'is particularly important for ending this aggression against our people.' Qatar is hosting Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, as well as another senior leader of the group, Khaled Mashal, who handles Palestinian affairs worldwide in Hamas's political office. Hamas took control of Gaza by force in 2007 after a brief civil war with security forces loyal to Abbas, who is based in Ramallah.