Qatar suspends its role in talks between Israel and Hamas, sources say

CNN
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Qatar suspends its role as mediator during conversations between Israel and Hamas after concluding that the two sides are no longer negotiating in good faith, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN.

Qatar, which has been around for a long time hosts Hamas’s political office in Doha, alongside Egypt, has served as an intermediary for the two parties, who do not officially maintain direct contact.

A diplomatic source briefed on the matter told CNN that the Qatari government made the decision after concluding that both sides now refuse to “engage constructively.”

Apart from a brief flurry of activity last month, there have been no real negotiations since six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas and discovered in a Gaza tunnel in late August. During a temporary ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Egypt last November, Hamas released 105 hostages and Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners.

“The Qataris have come to the conclusion that there is insufficient willingness on both sides, with the mediation efforts becoming more about politics and PR than a serious effort to secure peace and rescue the hostages and Palestinian civilians,” the diplomat said. source to CNN. “As a result, Hamas’s political office no longer serves its purpose.”

Hamas has insisted that any deal with Israel must lead to a permanent end to the war in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected that demand. In July he effectively cheated a draft hostage agreement and ceasefire by introducing a series of new, 11th-hour demands.

There are still 101 hostages held in Gaza. The Israeli military campaign, launched in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health; The UN reported this 70% of fatalities in the first six months of the conflict were women and children.

Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat appeared to provide the first official Israeli reaction to this move, saying on X that “Qatar was never a mediator, but the defender of Hamas, the one who financed and protected the terrorist organization. ” Netanyahu supported for many years payments to Hamas through Qatar, to divide Palestinian politics and – opponents claim – prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is not the first time that the Qatari government has expressed its frustration. in April, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar’s efforts were being misused by some involved in the conflict for “narrow political interests,” “requiring the State of Qatar to conduct a comprehensive review ” of his role.

The Qatari government has now told the Biden administration that it is ready to restart its mediation efforts “if both sides reach an impasse and demonstrate a genuine willingness to return to the negotiating table with the aim of putting an end to the war and the suffering of civilians.”

A senior US official told CNN that while Qatar had “played an invaluable role in helping broker a hostage deal” last year, “following Hamas’s repeated refusal to release even a small number of hostages, including most recently during meetings in Cairo, their continued presence in Doha is no longer feasible or acceptable.”