With its fixer role in the limelight, Qatar eyes a full ceasefire

Qatar, along with Egypt, has taken the lead role in negotiating a temporary truce in Gaza to help release captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

For Qatar, sealing a ceasefire to the Israel-Palestine war would realise its ambitions as being the Middle East’s troubleshooter, allowing it to cement diplomatic gains in Gaza while fending off some criticism in the West over its ties to Hamas. 

The stakes couldn't be higher. 

"I don't think Israel wanted its main interlocutor to be Qatar but that’s the reality it has to deal with," Kirsten Fontenrose, a former head of Gulf affairs at the White House, told Middle East Eye.

"Qatar has come through as a saviour to the Biden administration time and again," Fontenrose said. "The hostage deal has just cemented that role."

MEE journalist Sean Matthews takes a look at Doha's role in negotiations during the conflict. 

Read more: With its fixer role in the limelight, Qatar eyes a full ceasefire