“Qatar notified the parties 10 days ago during the last attempts to reach an agreement that it would end its mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel if an agreement is not reached in this round,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Qatar will renew these efforts … if the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war.”
Hamas has had a base in the Qatari capital since 2012, reportedly at the request of the Obama administration.
Hamas representatives denied this information.
The small but influential Gulf state is a key US ally in the region. It is home to a major US airbase and is the site of many delicate political negotiations, including with Iran, the Taliban and Russia.
Along with the US and Egypt, the Qataris have also played an important role in the so far failed ceasefire talks in the year-long war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
But there is growing evidence of a shift in attitudes.
Following the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Hamas held a two-hour mourning tent in Doha in a small hall, a stark contrast to the recent three-day mourning for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which was held under official state supervision and security. .
The latest round of talks in mid-October failed to produce an agreement, as Hamas rejected a proposal for a short-term ceasefire. The group has always called for a complete end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “Media reports about the Hamas office in Doha are inaccurate.”
“The main purpose of the office in Qatar is to be a channel of communication … (which) contributed to the achievement of a ceasefire in the previous stages.”
Israel is also accused of reneging on the agreements. Days after being fired earlier this week, former Defense Minister Yoav Galant accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of rejecting the peace deal against the advice of his security chiefs.
The call to expel Hamas from Qatar looks like an attempt by the outgoing Biden administration to force some kind of peace deal before his term ends in January.
If Hamas were forced to leave Doha, it is unclear where it would base its political office. Iran’s key ally would be an option, although the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July suggests they could be under threat from Israel if they were there. Nor would it give them anything close to the same diplomatic channels to the West.
