Qatar says it has suspended its mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel until the parties show “their willingness and seriousness” to end the war in Gaza.
In a statement on X on Saturday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Qatar had informed the relevant parties 10 days ago of its intentions.
Earlier on Saturday, The Associated Press reported a diplomatic source as saying that Hamas’s political office in Qatar “no longer serves its purpose”.
However, al-Ansari said that reports regarding the Hamas political office in Doha were inaccurate, “stating that the main goal of the office in Qatar is to be a channel of communication between the concerned parties”.
A senior Hamas official said they were aware of Qatar’s decision to suspend mediation efforts, “but no one told us to leave”.