³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Israel and Hamas have agreed a deal to release 50 hostages being held in Gaza during a four-day pause in fighting.

Hamas also says 150 Palestinian women and teenagers will be released from Israeli jails under the agreement.

One of the key brokers of the accord is the tiny emirate of Qatar. It's carved out a diplomatic niche for itself by maintaining relations with all sorts of groups that some of its other allies would rather not deal with directly, including Hamas - which maintains an office in Qatar.

Nawaf Al-Thani, a former director of Qatar's defence intelligence operations and a member of the ruling family. He told Newshour's James Menendez more about his country's growing diplomatic role.

Image: Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at a press conference in Doha, Qatar on 13 October 2023 (Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters)