The man at the center of the Gaza ceasefire negotiations has told Sky News that Donald Trump wants a deal done on Gaza before he takes office in January.

Qatar’s prime minister expressed cautious optimism but said “maximum pressure” was needed on all sides to end the conflict.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani said Trump’s advisers and the new administration have said they want the situation resolved by his inauguration on January 20.

“We’re trying to coordinate our efforts with them, and all of us, we agree, and we hope to overcome this situation before the president comes into office,” he said.

The prime minister said the Trump team “wants this resolved now – even today”.

Mr. Al Thani also defended Hamas being allowed to continue operating its political office from Doha, the capital of Qatar.

He emphasized that it was created “with full transparency and coordination and at the request of the US and Israel at the time to be used as a basis for negotiations.”

He said multiple ceasefires had been brokered through the office since 2014.

“There are too many situations where we have prevented an escalation from the beginning so that we don’t get ourselves into a situation like the one we ended up on October 7,” he said.

The Prime Minister added: “There will always be criticism, in many parties that will not like this kind of politics, yes, but it is necessary.”