Qatar has instructed Hamas leaders to leave the country following a US request to end Qatar’s support for the group, a source told Reuters.
In a series of high-stakes communications, Washington has informed Qatar that Hamas’s continued presence in Doha is no longer acceptable following the militant group’s rejection of recent ceasefire and hostage exchange proposals, prompting Qatar to deliver a similar message to Hamas leaders around ten days ago.
A US official, highlighting the US stance, told Reuters, “After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas’s rejection weeks ago.”
Despite the US urging, three Hamas officials have denied that Qatar formally demanded they leave.
Since 2012, Qatar has housed Hamas’ political leaders as part of an agreement to facilitate negotiations, particularly during periods of intense conflict between Hamas and Israel. In recent months, Qatar, alongside the US and Egypt, has spearheaded several rounds of negotiations to end the violence in Gaza—a goal that has proved elusive as Hamas rejected a recent ceasefire offer in mid-October.
The Biden administration’s push for a resolution in Gaza has gained urgency as Israel’s retaliatory strikes have devastated Gaza, leaving an estimated 43,000 Palestinians dead and causing widespread destruction. Meanwhile, the recent election of Republican Donald Trump as the next US president has reportedly limited President Biden’s leverage in these final weeks of his administration.
Previous rounds of talks saw plans fall apart as Israel introduced new stipulations, including a potential military presence in Gaza, which Hamas viewed as shifting “last-minute goalposts.” Last year, similar talks mediated in Doha led to a temporary seven-day truce in Gaza, allowing the release of hostages and the inflow of humanitarian aid, but hostilities quickly resumed.
Qatar’s long-standing role as a mediator has increasingly come under fire from US lawmakers. Fourteen Republican senators recently penned a letter to the Department of State urging sanctions on Hamas officials residing in Qatar, calls for their extradition, and a demand for Qatar to “end its hospitality” towards Hamas.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has defended the country’s hosting of Hamas officials, stating that their presence facilitates essential diplomatic negotiations.