Qatar asks Hams to leave Doha after refusal to accept US deal on Israeli hostages
The Gulf state of Qatar has reportedly asked the Palestinian militant group Hamas to leave the country's capital, Doha, where some of its top leadership has been based for decades. The development came at the behest of the US after Hamas refused to accept a Washington-proposed ceasefire deal with Israel, which would have also seen the release of the Israeli hostages taken by the militants on 7 October 2023.??
Why Qatar wants Hamas to leave
"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," a senior US official told Reuters.??
The US, along with Qatar and Egypt, has been trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. However, Hamas has not agreed to release the Israeli hostages who have been in captivity for more than a year. According to reports, the latest round of talks in mid-October failed to produce a deal, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal.??
Hamas denies reports
Following the breakdown of talks some ten days ago, Qatar asked Hamas leaders to close the group's political office. However, Hamas officials have denied that Qatar had told Hamas leaders they were no longer welcome in the country.??
Hamas, Taliban had offices in Qatar
Hamas has had its political office and some of its top leaders in Doha since 2012 as part of an agreement with the US. Even the Taliban, which was ousted from Afghanistan in 2001 by the US, had its political office in Doha since early 2010.??
Also read:?No successor for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas to be led by a ruling committee
New Hamas leadership was based in Doha
The exclusion from Qatar is more bad news for Hamas, which has been without a leader figure since the killing of Yahya Sinwar in October. Instead of elevating someone from its top leadership, Hamas had appointed a ruling committee based in Doha to lead its operations.
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