Qatar will stop trying to mediate a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal until Hamas and Israel are willing to resume talks, an official briefed on the matter said, while also casting doubt on the continued presence of Hamas’ political office in Doha.
The Gulf country has been working alongside the United States and Egypt on months of so-far fruitless talks between the warring sides in Gaza and its withdrawal from that process would further complicate efforts to reach a deal.
Qatar has hosted Hamas political leaders since 2012 as part of a deal with the United States, and the Palestinian group’s presence there was seen to have facilitated the progress of talks.
The war erupted when Hamas attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing another 253 as hostages. Israel’s military campaign has levelled much of Gaza and killed around 43,500 Palestinians.
Qatar told Hamas, Israel and the U.S. administration it would be willing to resume its negotiating role if Hamas and Israel “demonstrate a sincere willingness to return to the negotiation table with the objective of putting an end to the war,” the official said.
Doha has also concluded that Hamas’ political office in Doha “no longer serves its purpose”, the official added, in a further blow to the group whose top leaders have been assassinated by Israel. There was no official response from Hamas or Israel.
However, three Hamas officials said the group had not been informed by Qatar that its leaders were no longer welcome in the country.
The latest round of talks in mid-October failed to produce a deal, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal. Israel has previously rejected some proposals for longer truces. Disagreements have centred on the long-term future of Hamas and Israel’s presence in Gaza.
HAMAS IN QATAR
Washington had told Qatar that Hamas’ presence in Doha was no longer acceptable in the weeks since the group rejected the October proposal, a U.S. official said on Friday.
Qatar has not set a deadline for Hamas’ political office to close or for Hamas leaders to leave Qatar and it was unclear if it could reverse its decision that the office is no longer serving its purpose.
Qatar’s government had earlier reconsidered Hamas’ presence in the country in April, citing concerns that its efforts were being undermined by U.S. and Israeli politicians, which the official said had prompted the group’s leaders to leave for Turkey.
“After two weeks, the Biden administration and the Israeli government asked Qatar to request their return,” the official said, adding that Washington has said negotiations were ineffective when the Hamas leaders were in Turkey.
Qatar, designated as a major non-NATO ally by Washington, has long sought a role as a link between Western powers and their adversaries in the region.
The country hosts the largest U.S. airbase in the Middle East but also allows Hamas and Afghanistan’s Taliban to operate offices in Doha. It also helped negotiate a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Iran last year.
It is unclear how many Hamas officials live in Doha, but they include several possible replacements for leader Yahya Sinwar, whom Israeli forces killed in Gaza last month. They include Sinwar’s deputy Khalil al-Hayya, who has led ceasefire negotiations for the group, and Khaled Meshaal, widely seen as Hamas’ diplomatic face.
The group’s previous leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Iran in July almost certainly by Israel, was also based in Doha. His body was flown to Qatar for burial in early August.
