Hamas stated on Friday that the talk of Qatar imposing sanctions on its leadership is "ridiculous," given the movement's "good relations with Doha." Gazan Hamad, a member of Hamas's political bureau and negotiation team, explained that "Hamas has not just been in Qatar today but for years and enjoys a good relationship with the Qatari leadership without pressure or embarrassment."
In his remarks to Sky News Arabia, Hamad emphasized that "Hamas's presence in Qatar facilitates understanding, communication, and the exchange of ideas, especially given Qatar's connection with the United States and Western countries." He added, "Doha seeks to permanently halt the fighting in Palestine, and the relationship with the Egyptian mediators has been based on understanding, cooperation, coordination, and the exchange of ideas."
Hamad was commenting on Western media reports suggesting that Qatar is exerting pressure on Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal in Gaza and that Doha was "close to imposing sanctions on the movement." He noted that "the ground reality shows that Israel does not want to stop the war nor reach an agreement, and the internal conflict in Israel underscores a struggle over this vision."
He revealed Hamas's readiness to return all civilian and military hostages as part of a comprehensive deal, pointing out the importance of Israel understanding that a military solution will not succeed as it has proven to fail. He added, "There is a consensus within the Israeli security establishment that Hamas is not an organization but represents a large segment of Palestinian society, expressing a resistance ethos and national culture. The fight against the occupation in the West Bank involves all Palestinian factions; thus, Israel cannot achieve the goal of eliminating Hamas."
Hamad indicated that "Hamas has presented a clear and detailed vision to the mediators, and the movement's amendments have been communicated to the Egyptians and Qataris, who have reviewed them. These amendments are subject to negotiation, but the problem lies in Israel not responding to U.S. President Joe Biden's letter regarding the initiative to cease hostilities."
He concluded that reaching an agreement is possible if there is serious will on Israel's part.
