DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Gaza mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week’s ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Palestinian territory, Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said.

The Qatari official said particularly in the context of United States (US) enforcement of the Israel-Iran truce, it was “not a far-fetched idea” that pressure from Washington would achieve a fresh truce in Gaza.

“We are working with them very, very closely to make sure that the right pressure is applied from the international community as a whole, especially from the US, to see both parties at the negotiating table,” Ansari said.

Israel and Iran on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the US and Qatar just hours after the Islamic republic launched a salvo of missiles towards the wealthy Gulf state, targeting the American military base hosted there.

There were no casualties on Monday when Iran targeted Al Udeid, the Middle East’s biggest US base and headquarters of its regional command.

Ansari said that as leaders were weighing their response to the attack, a call came from the US president to Qatar’s emir, saying “there is a possibility for regional stability... and that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire.”

“Qatar could have taken the decision to escalate,” Ansari said. “But because there was a chance for peace... we opted for that,” he said.