Iran’s interim Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has underlined the need for all-out diplomatic efforts and “practical measures” aimed at putting an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In an X post early on Friday, Bagheri Kani said that he had discussed over the phone the latest developments regarding a new round of the Gaza ceasefire talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
The top Iranian diplomat added that Sheikh Mohammed described as critical the outcome of the current stage of the Gaza truce discussions.
“I emphasized the need for the continuation of all-out efforts and practical measures, including diplomatic activities, to stop the genocide by the Zionists in Gaza,” he added.
The remarks came after the first day of the ceasefire negotiations, mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, ended in Doha on Thursday.
Hamas officials did not join the talks, saying Israel has been adding new demands to a previous proposal to which the Palestinian resistance group had agreed in principle.
However, an Israeli delegation, led by the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet spy agencies, took part in the negotiations.
An unnamed US official briefed on the discussions in Doha told Reuters that Thursday's talks were "constructive."
Reports say the ceasefire negotiations are set to resume for a second day on Friday.
Israel waged its genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 after Hamas carried out its historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for the regime's intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 40,005 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 92,401 others.
Successive rounds of talks have failed to broker a truce in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza.