Mediators to hold meeting in US to discuss Gaza ceasefire

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Mediators to hold meeting in US to discuss Gaza ceasefire

2025-12-19 15:22 Last Updated At：16:07

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will meet with senior officials of Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye in Miami, U.S. on Friday to discuss the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, according to a White House official on Thursday.

The four countries reportedly believe that both Israel and Hamas are seeking to delay the implementation of the deal's second phase. Therefore, the mediators are eager to develop a joint approach to urge both sides to fulfill their commitments.

It will be the highest-level meeting of mediators since the first phase of the deal took effect in October 2025. Participants are expected to include Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulraman Al-Thani , Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

The gathering will precede an expected meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on December 29, during which they will discuss the Gaza ceasefire, among other issues.

Former Ukrainian military officer identified as Nord Stream Pipeline blast suspect

German media have reported that a suspect in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions was a Ukrainian military officer at the time of the incident.

According to Der Spiegel, a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines has been confirmed as serving in a Ukrainian special forces unit when the explosions occurred.

A letter from Ukraine's Ministry of Defense cited by the magazine said that the suspect held the rank of captain in a special operations unit between 2022 and 2023.

The report added that a former Ukrainian military officer has also confirmed the suspect served under his command during that period.

The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which run under the Baltic Sea and connect Russia with Germany and other European countries, were partially destroyed by explosions on September 26, 2022.