A spokesman for the State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Blinken and Prime Minister Al Thani discussed the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, with Blinken thanking the Qatari Prime Minister for his partnership and important efforts to de-escalate the recent hostilities.
He also reiterated his appreciation for Qatar’s continued assistance to Afghanistan.
Late last night, the US welcomed a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
“We express our condolences to the families of civilians who were killed and those who were injured in the violence,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement.
“The United States commends Egypt’s crucial role in mediating the ceasefire agreement, which will prevent the further loss of civilian lives. We also recognize Qatar’s robust efforts to de-escalate the situation and end the hostilities, as well as the international community’s support for the ceasefire. Our team worked tirelessly in cooperation with our partners to support these efforts,” he added.
The United States reaffirms our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, as reflected in our ongoing support for Iron Dome and other Israeli missile defense systems. We will remain engaged with our partners to promote calm in the weeks and months ahead,” said Miller.
“We also will continue our efforts to improve quality of life for Palestinians and we urge the swift delivery of fuel and other critical supplies into Gaza. The United States believes that Israelis and Palestinians both deserve to live safely and securely and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy,” he concluded.
The ceasefire was to have taken effect at 10:00 p.m. Saturday night, though a final barrage of rockets was fired towards Israel about an hour after that time, and the IDF retaliated by hitting three concealed rocket launchers and a military post used as training facilities of the Islamic Jihad.