Lamenting both sides’ refusal to negotiate in good faith, diplomat says Qatar is ceasing Gaza hostage-ceasefire mediation role

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

From L to R: Senior Hamas official Zaher Jabarin, the chairman of the group's consultative council Mohammed Ismail Darwish, known as Abu Omar Hassan, and the Palestinian movement's senior official Khaled Mashaal receive condolences during the funeral of the Palestinian movement's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Qatari capital Doha on August 2, 2024. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)
From L to R: Senior Hamas official Zaher Jabarin, the chairman of the group's consultative council Mohammed Ismail Darwish, known as Abu Omar Hassan, and the Palestinian movement's senior official Khaled Mashaal receive condolences during the funeral of the Palestinian movement's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Qatari capital Doha on August 2, 2024. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)

Qatar has decided to end its role as mediator between Israel and Hamas, a diplomat familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The diplomat confirms yesterday’s revelation by the US that Doha had told Hamas officials late last month to leave the country but appears to deny that the decision was taken due to a request from the Biden administration.

The diplomat — not from the US — tells The Times of Israel that Qatar made the decision on its own, determining that it could not continue mediating between Israel and Hamas if neither side was willing to negotiate in good faith. And if it is no longer mediating, there is no purpose for Qatar to allow Hamas to maintain its offices in the country, the diplomat says.

The diplomat laments that the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations “became more about politics and elections” for both Israel and Hamas, as opposed to a “serious attempt to secure peace.” The diplomat claims that both sides backed out of commitments that they had made throughout the negotiations, and were only engaged in them for the purpose of “political optics.”

Earlier this week, former defense minister Yoav Gallant suggested to the families of hostages held in Gaza that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has kept the war going for political reasons, not security ones, in what has prevented a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Once the decision was made by Qatar to cease its mediation role and kick Hamas officials out of the country, it first informed the other mediators — the US and Egypt — and then informed Hamas, the diplomat says, adding that the notification was given at the end of October.

No timeline was given for when Hamas will leave Doha, but it is not something that can happen overnight, the diplomat says.

The diplomat notes that Qatar’s decision isn’t necessarily permanent and could be reversed if both sides demonstrate a sincere willingness to negotiate in good faith.

This is what happened in April, when Qatar quietly kicked out Hamas from the country, the diplomat says. The terror group’s leaders went to Turkey, but the US and Israel asked Doha to bring them back in order to resume talks after attempts to do so with Hamas in Ankara did not succeed.

Indeed, two government officials revealed that sequence of events to The Times of Israel last May.

The diplomat speculates that after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran, Hamas officials will once again head to Turkey. This could place Ankara in a difficult position, though, as the Biden administration made clear yesterday that it doesn’t want its allies hosting the terror group.

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