Hamas not engaging in hostage deal, so Qatar asked it leave Doha, Blinken says

Hamas doesn’t want a hostage deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Brussels Wednesday, explaining that this is one of the reasons Qatar asked that the group leave Doha.

“We’ve been working, as you know, on trying to get an agreement on a hostage and ceasefire deal,” Blinken said on the 404th day that the hostages have been in captivity.

“Hamas, tragically, has demonstrated that it’s not going to engage on that despite the renewed efforts we’ve made in recent weeks,” Blinken stated.

“It’s one of the reasons why Qatar has told them to leave Doha,” he said, confirming that Qatar did indeed tell Hamas it had to leave its country.

Qatar had denied that it had issued such an order when it announced last Saturday that it had suspended its participation in the talks. It had blamed both Israel and Hamas for the absence of any progress, explaining that it would return to the talks only once Hamas and Israel showed they were serious about making a deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu give a joint press conference, on January 30, 2023 (credit: RONALDO SCHEMIDT/POOL VIA REUTERS)

Qatar and Egypt had been the main mediators for a deal, with the help of the United States.

Hostages running out of time

He spoke as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video Wednesday of Russian-Israel hostage Alexander Troufanov, warning he and other captives were running out of time.

Donald Trump’s re-election to the US Presidency last week has given the Biden administration only some three months to finalize a deal.

US President Joe Biden’s lame-duck status limits his ability to pressure Hamas into a deal.Biden discussed efforts toward a hostage deal with Israeli President Isaac Herzog when the two men met at the White House on Tuesday.