Qatar has agreed to throw out the terror outfit Hamas from its country following a request from the United States to do so, as per reports. The move comes after months of failed attempts to try to get the terror group Hamas to accept a ceasefire and agree to a hostage release deal in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. A number of the Hamas leaders are based in Qatar’s capital city of Doha.
Qatar has long attempted to play the role of a negotiator between Hamas, Israel, and other stakeholders in the region. With efforts to pause the devastating war in the Middle East completely failing, US officials have informed Qatar that they must stop giving Hamas refuge in Doha. Qatar has so far agreed to the demands and has given Hamas notice about a week ago, sources said.
“Hamas is a terrorist group that has killed Americans and continues to hold Americans hostage,” a senior administration official told American network CNN. “After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner.”
Donald Trump effect!
The United States is making significant diplomatic moves as it remains in direct talks with Doha regarding the shutting down of the political offices of Hamas. At the moment the US is adopting diplomatic efforts to restrict the reach of the terror outfit, as the new administration under Donald Trump is gearing up to take charge.
International pressure is also increasing on Qatar for its role in giving space to the leadership of the Shiite terror group, Hamas. Immediate action has been asked by US lawmakers, particularly by the Republicans who have appealed to the US State Department to hold the assets of Hamas members based in Qatar. An extradition of their leaders has also been demanded.
Throughout the war, US officials have asked Qatar to use the threat of expulsion as leverage in their talks with Hamas. The final push for Qatar agreeing to kick Hamas out, came recently after the death of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Hamas’ rejection of yet another ceasefire proposal.
Future of outgoing Hamas leadership
Exactly when Hamas terrorists would be exiled out of Qatar and where they would be going remains unclear. One US official told CNN that the group has not been given any extended amount of time to leave the country. While Turkey is seen as a possible option, the US is not likely to approve of that scenario. Other possible destinations could be Iran, Algeria, and Mauritania.
Earlier this year, the US Justice Department charged several senior Hamas leaders over the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. At least one of those defendants, Khaled Meshaal, is believed to be residing in Qatar. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had warned Qatar that if Hamas did not agree to halt the war in Gaza, they would risk getting kicked out of Doha.
Hamas has been involved in a direct clash with Israel for the past year since the shocking October 7, 2023 attacks on Israeli citizens. The Israeli forces proceeded to launch an all-out attack on the terror outfit, exterminating the attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar, and the chairman of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh. The two sides have been unable to agree on any ceasefire deal, and it seems the Hamas leadership will soon be evicted from their safe space of Qatar as well.