DOHA (Dispatches) – Gaza 
mediator Qatar on Sunday rejected comments from the Zionist regime’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it needed to “stop playing both sides” in truce negotiations.
A statement released by Netanyahu’s office on Saturday said Qatar needs to “decide if it’s on the side of civilization or if it’s on the side of Hamas.”
Qatar “firmly rejects the inflammatory statements... which fall far short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari responded in a post on X.
Despite efforts by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to restore a ceasefire, the Zionist regime has not shown willingness to back down on core demands.
The Zionist regime, which wants the return of 59 captives still held in Gaza, has insisted Hamas must disarm and be excluded from any role in the future governance of the enclave, a condition that Hamas rejects.
It has insisted on agreeing a lasting end to the fighting and withdrawal of Zionist troops as a condition for a deal that would see a release of the captives.
Al-Ansari criticized the portrayal of the Gaza conflict as a defense of civilization, likening it to historical regimes that used “false narratives to justify crimes against civilians.”
In his post, al-Ansari questioned whether the release of 138 captives was achieved through military operations or mediation efforts, which he said are being unjustly criticized and undermined.
He also cited the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza represented by what he called a suffocating blockade, systematic starvation, denial of medicine and shelter, and the use of humanitarian aid as a tool of political coercion. 
On Friday, the Zionist regime’s cabinet approved plans for an expanded aggression in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported on Friday, adding to signs that attempts to stop the fighting and return captives have made no progress.