Qatar quits hostage negotiations, kicks Hamas officials out of the country

Hamas rejected a short-term ceasefire and limited hostage release deal proposed in mid-October.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Qatar announced it is no longer playing the role of mediator between Israel and Hamas and is closing the terror group’s offices in its country, KAN reports.

Qatar, which mediated hostage and ceasefire proposals, says it will no longer assume this role until both sides in the conflict show a “sincere willingness” to consider an agreement.

This comes as Hamas rejected a short-term ceasefire and limited hostage release deal proposed in mid-October.

In addition, Qatar announced that, absent active hostage and ceasefire negotiations, Hamas’s office in the country “serves no purpose,” and the terror group must leave the country.

A senior American Administration official told Reuters on Friday that the US has informed Qatar that Hamas should no longer be allowed to have a presence in Doha given its rejection of the latest and previous ceasefire deals.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “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.”

“Hamas is a terrorist group that has killed Americans and continues to hold Americans hostage,” a senior US administration official told CNN. “After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner.”

KAN reported that Qatari officials told Hamas, “You are not welcome here.”

Qatar also indicated that the only reason Hamas was allowed to maintain a presence in the country was to facilitate ceasefire and hostage negotiations.

However, Egyptian sources told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that hostage negotiations are still ongoing.

Three Hamas officials denied that Qatar is dismissing Hamas from the country and claimed, “The Israeli reports are completely baseless.”