Report: Qatar expels Hamas members

Qatar has reportedly begun to force Hamas affiliates out of the country.

Qatar has begun to expel Hamas leaders taking refuge within its borders, the Lebanese Al Mayadeen network reported over the weekend.

The report cited “diplomatic sources” as saying that on Saturday, Qatar gave Hamas a list of names of members required to leave the country. Al Mayadeen did not name the individuals forced to leave.

According to the report, a Qatari envoy met with prominent Hamas figures to deliver the list, which, the sources say, includes mainly those responsible for collaborating with the organization’s leadership in the Judea and Samaria region.

The envoy said he regretted the move and that it was made because of “external pressures,” hinting to Israeli involvement in the matter.

In addition, the diplomatic sources quoted in the report claimed that the list included mostly persons whose names have come up during the interrogation of terrorists in Israeli jails.

Hamas denied the report. The terror organization’s spokesman, Husam Badran, said the reports were unrealistic and meant to hinder Hamas’ foreign relations. He praised Qatar for its support of the Palestinians and its many investments in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas controls.

While addressing the leaders of 55 Muslim countries in Riyadh last month, President Donald Trump labeled Hamas a terrorist organization, together with ISIS and al-Qaeda.

“The true toll of ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and so many others, must be counted not only in the number of dead; it must also be counted in generations of vanished dreams,” Trump asserted.

A Hamas spokesperson condemned Trump’s statements, saying they show his “complete bias” in favor of the “Zionist occupation.” “The statement describing Hamas as a terrorist group is rejected and is a distortion of our image,” he said in a statement.

The US State Department designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997.

Qatar is a major ally and supporter of Hamas and currently hosts the group’s chief political leader, Khaled Meshaal.

The Arab Gulf state has repeatedly bailed out Hamas and has given it tens of millions of dollars over recent years.

By: World Israel News Staff