Qatar asks Hamas leaders to leave country after US pressure over rejected hostage deal: Report

Qatar has requested the leaders of the militant group Hamas to leave the country, marking a shift in its policy after pressure from the United States, according to the Financial Times.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Nov 9, 2024, 11:38 AM IST | Last Updated Nov 9, 2024, 11:38 AM IST

Qatar has requested the leaders of the militant group Hamas to leave the country, marking a shift in its policy after pressure from the United States, according to the Financial Times. This request was reportedly made about 10 days ago following intensive discussions with US officials. Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political office in Doha since 2012, after the group was forced to leave Damascus due to the Syrian civil war. However, the US informed Qatar that Hamas' continued presence in Doha was “no longer acceptable,” citing the group's refusal to engage in a truce and a hostage agreement.

Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has played a key role in multiple unsuccessful attempts to broker a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict. In mid-October, Hamas rejected a short-term ceasefire plan during the latest round of negotiations, leading to no agreement.

"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 of another hostage release proposal," the senior official was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

US lawmakers have also criticized Qatar for its ties to Hamas. On Friday, 14 Republican US senators sent a letter to the State Department urging the immediate freezing of assets belonging to Hamas officials in Qatar, the extradition of top Hamas leaders residing in the country, and a demand for Qatar to end its support for the group’s leadership.

Despite the pressure, Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has repeatedly stated that the Hamas office in Doha serves as a channel for dialogue, and Qatar will continue to host it as long as it remains functional.

The exact number of Hamas officials residing in Doha is unknown, but among them are several individuals who were mentioned as possible successors to Yahya Sinwar, the group's leader killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last month.

Qatar reportedly denies informing Hamas were no longer welcome in country

Regarding Qatar's response, three Hamas officials told Reuters that Qatar denied informing Hamas leaders they were no longer welcome in the country. A request for comment from Qatar’s foreign ministry was not immediately answered. It remains unclear whether Qatar set a deadline for Hamas officials to leave the country.

Washington had previously informed Doha, following consultations, that the time was right to close Hamas's political office in Qatar.

The Biden administration has been preparing to take action to curb Israeli attacks in Gaza and Lebanon. However, Biden's influence has been significantly diminished following the election of Republican Donald Trump as the next US president this week.

Even after Hamas approved a version of a ceasefire proposal presented by Biden in May, earlier rounds of ceasefire negotiations were hindered by disagreements over Israel’s additional demands regarding its military presence in Gaza. A source close to the negotiations told Reuters in August that Hamas felt Israel had altered the objective of the deal "last-minute," and that any compromises made would be met with new demands.

Following the October 7 attack on southern Israel, in which Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told officials in Qatar and other Gulf nations that there could be "no more business as usual" with Hamas.

In response, Qatari officials assured Blinken that they were open to reevaluating Hamas's status in the country.

Israel's retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza resulted in the deaths of more than 43,000 Palestinians, while the Gaza Strip was left in ruins, exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

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