The most senior Hamas leader outside Gaza, along with other key members of its negotiating team, are no longer in Doha, Qatar’s government and a senior Palestinian Arab official confirmed on Tuesday, according to a report in the BBC.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman clarified that Hamas’ office in Doha no longer serves a purpose due to the suspension of Qatar’s mediation efforts for a Gaza ceasefire deal. However, he emphasized that the office is not permanently closed.
A Palestinian Arab official, meanwhile, explained to the BBC that Hamas negotiators had adjusted their regional presence and were keeping their locations undisclosed to prevent causing difficulties for their host countries.
The official suggested that senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya was likely in Turkey, as he had visited the country several times in recent months. The official denied reports that Qatar formally asked Hamas to leave but noted that Qatar appeared to be positioning itself to avoid potential tensions between US President Joe Biden’s administration and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Kan 11 News reported earlier this week that the Hamas leaders had moved to Turkey after being asked to leave Qatar. An Arab diplomat later confirmed that senior members of Hamas’ overseas leadership recently relocated from Qatar to Turkey, but noted that Hamas’ abroad leadership often resides in Turkey when not attending meetings in Doha.
The diplomat’s comments follow an announcement from the United States last week that it had requested Qatar to expel Hamas officials from Doha, which has served as a base for the group since 2012.
On Tuesday, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari confirmed during a media briefing that “the leaders of Hamas that are within the negotiating team are now not in Doha”, as quoted by the BBC.
He added, “As you know, they move between different capitals. I don’t want to get into details of what that means. But what I can tell you very clearly is that the office of Hamas in Doha was created for the sake of the negotiating process. Obviously, when there is no mediation process, the office itself doesn’t have any function.”
He also assured, “A decision to close down the office permanently is a decision that you will hear about from us directly and shouldn’t be part of media speculation.”
Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, has mediated recent efforts to achieve a ceasefire and hostage release deal, before Qatar announced it would be suspending its role until both parties “demonstrate greater commitment” to the process.
Despite Qatar’s withdrawal from the mediation role, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the Biden administration continues to pursue efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Turkey, like Qatar, has provided backing to Hamas. In April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met then-Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul.
Erdogan said after the meeting that Palestinian Arab unity was “vital” and added, “The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity.”
Weeks later, Erdogan boasted of the fact that more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in hospitals across Turkey and also took issue with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reference to Hamas as a terrorist organization.