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 Doha has taken part in efforts alongside international actors to quickly halt hostilities in Gaza and avoid more casualties. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hailed the truce that ended days of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad armed group in the Gaza Strip, saying it was a result of concerted “active diplomacy”. The truce, brokered on Sunday by Egypt with help from the United Nations and Qatar, has so far been held after three days of Israeli bombardment killed at least 44 Palestinians, including 15 children. Majed al-Ansari, spokesman of the Qatari foreign ministry, told Al Jazeera that Doha engaged in phone calls with all relevant parties from Friday to stop the “waste of blood”. “This agreement should not be broken in any way to ensure an appropriate amount of time where parties can work at the diplomatic level to avoid an escalation,” al-Ansari said. “I believe that what we are see[ing] now … is the result of active diplomacy — not just on ...

 A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants held overnight, following three days of violence. Isolated weapons fire from both sides in the minutes before and just after the Sunday night deadline failed to derail the Egypt-brokered truce. At least 44 people have died in the most serious flare-up since an 11-day conflict in May 2021. US and United Nations leaders urged both sides to continue to observe the ceasefire. In a statement, US President Joe Biden praised the truce and called on all parties “to fully implement [it] and to ensure fuel and humanitarian supplies are flowing into Gaza”. He also urged reports of civilian casualties to be investigated in a timely manner. Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62457780