The United States and Qatar said Wednesday that the fragile, day-old ceasefire in Iran has created an opportunity to advance truce-hostage talks they are mediating between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told CNN that Doha has been in touch with “all sides” of the truce-hostage talks,

In public, Qatar was insisting on the right to defend itself after Iran attacked a U.S. military site in the emirate. Behind the scenes, it was already mediating a truce between Israel and Iran.

The emir of Qatar helped arrange Monday night’s declaration of a cease-fire between Israel and Iran, the country’s prime minister said. After Monday's Iranian missile attack targeting a U.S. military base in Qatar,