Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza conflict, has said that Palestinians — not outsiders — must decide the territory’s future after the Israel-Hamas conflict, AFP reports.

Foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a Doha news conference that the issue was “a Palestinian question”, after Israel insisted on removing Hamas and the United States proposed taking over the territory.

“From our perspective, this is a Palestinian question on what happens post this conflict,” said Ansari when asked about Israel’s stated objective to eliminate Hamas.

“It is a Palestinian question on who represents the Palestinians in an official capacity and also the political groups and parties in the political sphere,” he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said earlier that negotiations for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which Qatar helped broker, would begin this week.