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Reuters quoted a “well-informed official” assessing Qatar’s government actions today, Saturday, saying that it is possible that Hamas office in Doha could be closed as part of a “broader review of the state’s mediation role in the war between Israel and Hamas.”
The official explained, according to Reuters: “The Gulf state is considering whether to allow Hamas to continue operating its political office, and the broader review includes examining whether Qatar will continue to mediate in the conflict that has been ongoing for about seven months.”
According to the agency, “the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Qatar does not play a mediation role, there would be no benefit in keeping Hamas’s political office, so this is part of the reassessment.” He mentioned that “he does not know if Qatar will ask Hamas to leave Doha if the Qatari government decides to close the movement’s office.”
It noted that: “The Washington Post, in a report on Friday, quoted an unnamed US official as saying that Washington asked Doha to expel Hamas if the movement continues to reject a ceasefire agreement with Israel.”
Reuters quoted “a Hamas leader saying that the movement’s negotiators arrived in Cairo on Saturday for intensive talks on a possible ceasefire in Gaza that would involve the return of some hostages to Israel.”
Al Jazeera, the Qatari channel, covered what Reuters included by broadcasting the highlights on its breaking news ticker, which according to observers means that Qatar is “preparing, in the media, for a pre-determined decision to close Hamas’s political office in Doha.”
