In a significant move, Qatar is set to impose sanctions on Hamas and its leaders in an attempt to push them back to the negotiating table, according to American sources. Recent leaks indicate that the United States has communicated to Israel that Doha is nearing the imposition of sanctions on Hamas if it does not return to negotiations, as reported by Israeli broadcasting authorities.
It was also hinted that Israeli officials are somewhat optimistic about the possibility of resuming talks soon, if Doha succeeds in pressuring Hamas. These leaks came after Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with senior Hamas officials to advance the negotiations. This also follows skepticism from four officials in President Joe Biden’s administration about Israel and Hamas’s ability to reach a comprehensive ceasefire agreement based on the proposed outlines, as reported by Politico on Wednesday.
These informed officials explained that even if a ceasefire agreement is reached between the two sides for a short period as a starting point, there is a significant likelihood that the agreement may collapse afterward. Sources indicated they are not optimistic about bridging the gap between the two parties.
**Qatari Threat?**
About two weeks ago, several American sources reported that Qatar threatened Hamas that if no agreement was reached, its leaders would be asked to leave Doha, according to CNN. If this Qatari threat is accurate, it followed stagnation in negotiations that began several weeks ago without any results so far.
Hamas had previously confirmed that it showed significant positivity in dealing with the proposed ceasefire suggested by Biden weeks ago. However, it emphasized its commitment to a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the region, which was rejected by the Israeli side.
