«After repeatedly refusing offers to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome guests in the capitals of any American partner. We made this clear to Qatar after Hamas rejected another offer to release hostages several weeks ago,» said a senior American official to Reuters. According to him, Qatar approached Hamas leaders with this demand about 10 days ago, but it is unknown if there are deadlines for them to leave the country.
In November last year, negotiations in Doha led to a seven-day truce in Gaza, allowing the release of dozens of hostages held there in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Humanitarian aid flowed into the devastated coastal strip, but military actions quickly resumed and continue to this day.
As noted by Reuters, after the October 7 attack, during which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told leaders of Qatar and other regional countries that there can be «nothing more to do with Hamas». However, the Qataris stated that they are ready to reconsider the presence of Hamas in the country when the time comes. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani repeatedly stated over the past year that the Hamas office exists in Doha to negotiate with the group, and that as long as the channel remains useful, Qatar will allow the Hamas office to operate.
On Friday, 14 American Republican senators wrote a letter to the State Department asking Washington to immediately freeze the assets of Hamas officials residing in Qatar, extradite several high-ranking Hamas officials living in Qatar, and ask Qatar to «end hospitality for the top leadership of Hamas».
According to The Financial Times, the Hamas leadership will move to Turkey.