Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has rejected news reports that it had pulled out of mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel adding that it has “stalled” its efforts until all parties demonstrate “willingness and seriousness” to end the war.
In a statement on X, the ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said that Qatar had informed the relevant parties 10 days ago of its intentions.
Al Ansari also said that reports regarding the Hamas political office in Doha were inaccurate, “stating that the main goal of the of the office in Qatar is to be a channel of communication between the concerned parties”.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said that the country will not accept that its role as a mediator be used to “blackmail it”.
“Qatar will not accept that mediation be a reason for blackmailing it, as we have witnessed manipulation since the collapse of the first pause and the women and children exchange deal, especially in retreating from obligations agreed upon through mediation, and exploiting the continuation of negotiations to justify the continuation of the war to serve narrow political purposes,” he said in a statement posted on X.
it was reported earlier in the day that Qatar had suspended its role as a key mediator for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal after concluding that Hamas and Israel were unwilling to negotiate "in good faith", according to a diplomatic source.
The Gulf emirate, which has hosted Hamas's political leadership since 2012 with US blessing, has been involved in months of protracted diplomacy aimed at ending the war triggered by the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on Israel last year.
But the talks, also mediated by Cairo and Washington, have repeatedly hit snags since a one-week truce in November 2023 -- the only one so far -- with both sides trading blame for the impasse.
"The Qataris informed both the Israelis and Hamas that as long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith, they cannot continue to mediate," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The Qataris conveyed to the US administration that they would be ready to re-engage in mediation when both sides... demonstrate a sincere willingness to return to the negotiating table," the source added.
There was no official confirmation from Qatar or any comment from Egypt and the United States.
With Gaza truce talks at a deadlock, the Hamas political office in Doha "no longer serves its purpose", said the source, without specifying whether Qatar intends to ask leaders of the Palestinian group to leave the country.
During talks over the past year, both Qatari and US officials indicated that Hamas would remain in Doha as long as its presence offered a viable channel of communication.
A senior Hamas official in Doha told AFP that "we have not received any request to leave Qatar".
Despite last November's truce, when scores of Hamas-held hostages were released, successive rounds of negotiations -- as recently as late last month -- have failed to end the war.
The diplomatic source said Saturday that Qatar had "concluded that there is insufficient willingness from either side" to bridge gaps in negotiations.
A crucial hurdle has been Hamas's insistence that Israel withdraw completely from Gaza, which Israeli officials have repeatedly rejected.
With AFP
Comments