Report: At US request, mediators pressed Hamas to okay Gaza deal with expulsion threat
Qatar and Egypt also warned Doha-based politburo of arrests, freezing of assets, sanctions, officials tell WSJ, but terror group did not budge on demands
Qatar and Egypt have in recent days turned up the pressure on Hamas’s leadership in Doha to sign on to a deal presented by the White House to secure a truce in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held there, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
According to the Journal, which cited unnamed officials familiar with the negotiations, the two mediator countries threatened the terror group’s leaders with sanctions, including the freezing of their assets, expulsion from the Qatari capital and arrests. This was at the prodding of the administration of United States President Joe Biden.
Nevertheless, the group has signaled that it will reject the deal.
US President Biden laid out the latest Israeli proposal in a May 31 speech at the White House which multiple media outlets have reported took Israel by surprise. The offer envisions three phases of negotiations — which have faltered since April — beginning with a six-week truce during which the remaining living female, elderly and sick hostages will be released.
In a Monday call with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Biden urged Qatar “to use all appropriate measures to secure Hamas’s acceptance of the deal,” according to a White House readout. On Thursday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Biden administration was “confident” that Qatar was exerting as much pressure as possible.
Disagreement between Israel and Hamas about the deal has hinged on its stipulation of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed the text of the proposal, said it played down the possibility of a permanent ceasefire, which would depend on talks held during the deal’s first phase. By contrast, the proposal contained multiple mentions of “sustainable calm,” said the Journal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had responded to Biden’s speech in two statements last week reiterating that Israel was committed to dismantling Hamas and would not commit to a permanent ceasefire. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Israel would negotiate with Hamas only “under fire.”
Hamas, which initially said it “positively views” the proposal, has since signaled it would likely reject the deal.
“There is a gap between what is in the paper and Biden’s statements,” the terror group said on Wednesday, adding that the alleged discrepancy had led to “confusion and controversy.”
Hamas’s Doha-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that the group would deal “seriously and positively” with any ceasefire agreement that is based on a total halt of war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip. On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal quoted Gaza-based Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as telling Arab mediators that “Hamas will not surrender its guns or sign a proposal that asks for that.”
The US has requested mediators — particularly Qatar — to apply pressure on Hamas in previous rounds of the talks. In April, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said his country was reviewing its role as a mediator due to the “abuse” it had received from critics who claimed Doha was not doing enough to get Hamas to sign an agreement.
Amid the accusations lobbed at Qatar — by Netanyahu and members of the US Congress, among others — The Wall Street Journal reported that Hamas had contacted two other countries in the region about relocating.
