Doha: After the US demanded Qatar not allow Hamas to maintain a base in the Gulf state, the Palestinian militant group might be forced to close its offices there, The Guardian reported.
For more than a decade, Qatar, a key US partner in the Middle East, gave space for a Hamas base and allowed many senior leaders of the organisation to live there.
The development was reported by Reuters on Friday; however, it has yet to be confirmed officially.
A senior official told Reuters that after Hamas rejected repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner, which Washington made clear to Qatar. This was after Hamas rejected a proposal of another hostage release proposal weeks ago, the officer said, in the condition of anonymity.
However, critics of the US's move opinion that it will hinder the engagement with elements of Hamas, who are potentially more inclined to compromise, and boost the influence of more hostile states, such as Iran, over the militant group.
As per reports, Hamas still houses around 100 hostages they seized during its lighting attack on Israel last October. Many rounds of negotiation talks intended to end the 13-month-long war in Gaza have failed.
Qatar, a small but influential Gulf state, has been a key intermediary in the talks to broker a ceasefire. Doha is expected to comply with the US request, analysts opine.
But, the US official told Reuters that Qatar had already passed on the demand to Hamas leaders around 10 days ago.
Anyway, Hamas leaders have been preparing to leave Qatar for months, probably taking asylum in Turkey or Iraq. The Guardian reported that the militant group recently opened a political office in Baghdad. They also denied that Qatar had demanded leave, and a reaction to Reuters from Doha has yet to be received.
The US designates Qatar as a major non-Nato ally.