The Qatari government and a senior Palestinian official have said that Hamas’s most senior leader outside Gaza and other key figures in its negotiating team are no longer in Doha.
A spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry said the Hamas office was no longer functioning because Qatar had suspended its mediation efforts on the Gaza ceasefire deal, though he stressed it had not been closed permanently. was
A Palestinian official told the BBC that Hamas negotiators had adjusted their presence in the region and kept their locations secret to avoid embarrassment to host countries.
But they said it is likely that Haya is in Turkey as he has been there several times in the past two months.
And while the official also denied reports that Qatar had formally asked Hamas to leave, he said it appeared that the Gulf state would agree with the current administration of President Joe Biden and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Management is taking a careful position to avoid any tension between them.
Qatar has hosted Hamas’ political bureau since 2012 and has played a key role in facilitating indirect talks between the group and Israel. But recent developments suggest a change in their relationship.
Earlier this month, Qatar announced it had halted its efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and said they would only resume if the parties showed a willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war. will do But he denied reports that Hamas leaders had been asked to leave.
on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari confirmed this in a media briefing. that “Hamas leaders who are part of the negotiating team are no longer in Doha”.
As you know, they move between different capitals. I don’t want to go into the details of what that means,” he added.
But what I can tell you clearly is that the Hamas office in Doha was created for the negotiation process. Obviously, the office itself has no function when there is no arbitration process.
He also emphasized that “the decision to close the office permanently is a decision you will hear directly from us and should not be part of media speculation”.
On Monday, Hamas said in a Telegram statement that sources in the group “denied that some Israeli media had circulated about the Hamas leadership leaving Qatar for Turkey”.
This followed a similar denial from Turkey’s foreign ministry, with sources telling Turkish news channel NTV: “Members of the Hamas politburo visit Turkey from time to time. Allegations that the politburo of Hamas has moved to Turkey do not reflect the truth.”
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, meanwhile, told a news conference in Washington that he was “not in a position to dispute the reports” about the whereabouts of the Hamas leadership.
“What I will say on behalf of the United States is that we do not believe that the leaders of a vicious terrorist organization should be comfortable anywhere, and that certainly includes one of our most important allies and partners,” he said. The major city of is also included. said.
“Many of these individuals are under US indictment, have been under US indictment for some time, and we believe they should be extradited to the US,” he added.
He also declined to speculate on whether there would be any consequences for Turkey as a NATO ally if it included Hamas leaders.
Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization – unlike Israel, the US, Britain and many other Western countries – and members of the group often spend time there.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended Hamas as a resistance movement and has sharply criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
On October 7, 2023, Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
More than 43,970 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry.
During a visit to Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment that Hamas will not be allowed to play a role in governing Gaza after the war.
He again vowed to ensure that all hostages are brought home alive and reiterated his offer of $5m (£3.95m) for anyone who would hand over the hostages to Israel.
Israel says 97 hostages are still being held, 34 of whom are believed to be dead. There are four more hostages who were taken before October 7, two of whom are believed to be dead.
