US president holds talks with Qatari leaders on Air Force One as Washington pushes to reach second phase of Gaza plan.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump has thanked Qatar for its efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip<\/a>, as the United States presses ahead with negotiations on the next phase of Trump\u2019s 20-point Gaza plan.<\/p>\n Trump welcomed Qatar\u2019s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on board Air Force One on Saturday as the US president\u2019s plane stopped to refuel in the Gulf country on its way to a summit in Malaysia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done a lot together, especially in the last year,\u201d Trump said alongside the Qatari leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve done is incredible \u2013 peace to the Middle East \u2013 and they were a very big factor in it, so I just want to thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n The meeting comes as several senior Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance<\/a> and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were in Israel this week to ensure the top US ally abides by the deal and to discuss the details of phase two of the US-led plan.<\/p>\n Experts say several elements of the agreement, including Washington\u2019s demand that Hamas disarm<\/a> and the prospect of deploying an international security force to Gaza, remain unclear.<\/p>\n Reporting from the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday evening, Al Jazeera\u2019s Dorsa Jabari also\u00a0noted that parts of the first phase have not yet been completed, including the release of all Israeli captives\u2019 bodies from Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cThat has been a point of contention, [with] Israel saying that Hamas has not in the past four days returned any of those bodies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cHamas, for its part, has said it needs more time to access areas that have been out of reach as a result of the war and the heavy bombardment that has come down on the Strip.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Israel has continued to carry out deadly strikes across Gaza and block unimpeded deliveries of humanitarian aid to Palestinians<\/a> across the territory \u2013 putting further strain on the shaky ceasefire.<\/p>\n On Saturday, medical sources in Gaza told Al Jazeera that several Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli forces across the Strip throughout the day.<\/p>\n At least four people also were injured in an Israeli attack on a car in central Gaza\u2019s Nuseirat refugee camp, which the Israeli military said was targeting an alleged Palestinian Islamic Jihad member.<\/p>\n The attack \u201clooks like a breach of an already fragile ceasefire\u201d, Al Jazeera\u2019s Hani Mahmoud reported from Gaza City.<\/p>\n