Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Wednesday talks on a Gaza ceasefire and a release of hostages are at a "delicate phase".
"We are trying as much as possible to address this stumbling block," he added, without giving further details.
Qatar's premier condemned what he described as the policy of "collective punishment" still followed by Israel in its war against the enclave's ruling Hamas and the latest escalation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The ceasefire discussions, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, are continuing as a humanitarian crisis devastates Palestinians in Gaza with severe shortages of food, medicine and hospital care.
The war was triggered when Hamas burst into southern Israel from Gaza on October 7, killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages into the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Israel has retaliated by pounding Gaza in an air and ground offensive which has killed almost 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Thousands of Venezuelans were feared dead on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around the capital Caracas, trapping people beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings and setting off powerful aftershocks.
President Donald Trump's administration has asked the US Congress on Wednesday for $87.6 billion in additional funding, most of it related to the Iran war, setting the stage for another fight with lawmakers already frustrated with the conflict.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 has struck Japan's northeast coast on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, no injuries were immediately reported and no irregularities were found at nuclear facilities, the authorities said.
US President Donald Trump has stated on Tuesday that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity," while Tehran said it had made no such concession in negotiations, raising questions about the viability of their fragile peace deal.
Oman has coordinated with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to establish a temporary maritime corridor for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to its local news agency.