Qatar has agreed in recent weeks to expel Hamas from its territory following a request from the United States to do so, US and Qatari sources told CNN, capping months of failed attempts to try to persuade the militant group whose top leaders reside in the Qatari capital Doha to accept a ceasefire and release hostages it is holding in Gaza.
With efforts to stop the war between Israel and Hamas, a top priority of US President Joe Biden, faltering, US officials told their Qatari counterparts about two weeks ago to stop giving Hamas sanctuary in their capital, and Qatar agreed and notified Hamas about a week ago.
A senior administration official told CNN: “Hamas is a terrorist group that has killed Americans and continues to hold American hostages, and after rejecting repeated proposals to release the hostages, its leaders can no longer be welcomed in the capitals of any U.S. partner.”
During the course of the war and negotiations for the return of the American hostages, the US asked Qatar to use the threat of expelling Hamas as leverage in the talks. Qatar’s agreement to this measure came after the death of American-Israeli hostage Hirsch Goldberg-Bolin and Hamas’s rejection of a new ceasefire initiative.
Qatar has long played a key role in efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, due to the presence of a number of Hamas leaders in Doha, where many important negotiations have taken place.
It has not yet been determined when Hamas members will be expelled from Qatar or their future destination, but a U.S. official told CNN that the group has not been given much time to leave the country.Although they may relocate to Turkey, the U.S. may not approve of that, for reasons similar to its refusal to allow Hamas leaders to remain in Qatar.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted a number of Hamas leaders in connection with the October 7 attack on Israel.
One of the defendants, Khaled Meshaal, is believed to be currently residing in Qatar. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also asked Qatar in the summer to warn Hamas that it could face expulsion if it did not agree to end the war in Gaza.
