American Official: Qatar Shows Willingness to Reconsider Hamas Presence on Its Territory

A senior American official revealed today, Friday, that Qatar has informed the United States that it is open to reconsidering the presence of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on its territory once the crisis of the dozens of hostages held by the movement is resolved. The official noted that this understanding, first reported by the Washington Post, was reached during a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during Blinken's visit to Doha earlier this month. Qatar is leading, in coordination with the United States, mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials regarding the release of more than 200 hostages held by the movement during an attack on Israel on October 7. Doha has contributed to the release of four hostages through its communications with both Israel and Hamas.