Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday that the country has informed both Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas that it will cease its efforts to mediate a ceasefire and hostage agreement in Gaza until there is a willingness and seriousness shown by both sides to resume negotiations.
For several months, Qatar has been cooperating with the United States and Egypt in mediating agreements between the warring parties in Gaza, but ultimately without success.
In a statement on Saturday, spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Qatar had notified all parties ten days ago that if an agreement could not be reached in the last attempt, Qatar would cease its mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel.
“Qatar will resume these efforts with its partners once all parties show willingness and seriousness to end this cruel war,” Al-Ansari said.
The statement provided detailed information on Qatar’s withdrawal from the mediation efforts.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has facilitated multiple rounds of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. However, these talks have yet to yield concrete results. The latest round of talks in mid-October also failed to reach an agreement as Hamas rejected a short-term ceasefire proposal.
Multiple media outlets reported on Friday that following Hamas’s rejection of the latest ceasefire agreement, the United States has requested Qatar not to continue allowing Hamas officials to reside in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
“After multiple refusals to release hostages in ceasefire agreements, Hamas leaders should no longer be welcomed in any capital of American partners,” a senior Biden administration official stated. “Following Hamas’s rejection of another hostage release proposal a few weeks ago, we have clearly conveyed this to Qatar.”
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the accuracy of media reports regarding Hamas’s political office in Doha but did not provide specific explanations on the inaccuracies.
An official familiar with the matter informed Reuters on Saturday that Qatar believes with the suspension of its mediation efforts, Hamas’s political office in Doha “can no longer serve its purpose.”
However, three Hamas officials stated that Qatar has not informed Hamas leaders that they are no longer welcome in the country.
Qatar, as an influential Gulf country, has been designated by the United States as a major non-NATO ally. Since 2012, as part of an agreement with the United States, Qatar has been hosting Hamas’s political leaders.