Qatar threatens to kick Hamas leaders out of Doha if they reject ceasefire deal – report

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Qatar has given Hamas leaders the ultimatum that they will be forced to leave Doha if they don’t accept the current ceasefire and hostage release deal, CNN reports.

Hamas, up until now, has sent mixed messages about various versions of the deal, ultimately rejecting any option that doesn’t require Israel to comply with a complete ceasefire in phase one.

According to one source, Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political wing of Hamas based in Qatar, has potentially agreed to previous hostage release deals, which were ultimately rejected by October 7th mastermind Yahya Sinwar, believed to be hiding in Gaza.

In March, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Qatar to threaten to kick Hamas leaders out of Doha if they refused to agree to the hostage release and ceasefire deal.

This statement came as the potential agreement between Israel and Hamas had stalled over the terror group demanding Israel commit to an immediate and permanent ceasefire as a condition for releasing the hostages. In contrast, the deal on the table called for a 3-phase plan towards a permanent ceasefire.

A week after the October 7th massacre, Blinken met with Thani and said, “There can be no business as usual with Hamas.”

In addition, the Biden administration has urged Egypt to close off access to Gaza if Hamas refuses to agree to the ceasefire deal.

Hamas established the political headquarters of the terror group in Qatar in 2012, and Qatar has played a crucial role as a mediator between Hamas and the rest of the world.

Economy Minister Nir Barkat told The Jerusalem Post that Israel must end Doha’s patronage of the Hamas terror organization and the Gaza Strip.

Since at least 2007, oil-rich Qatar has been a key financier of Hamas and has since become the single largest donor to the Gaza Strip