Qatar and Egypt have warned Hamas leaders that they could be arrested, have their assets frozen, and be expelled from Doha if they do not agree to a ceasefire with Israel, according to an American report.
The American Wall Street Journal quoted informed sources as saying that these warnings came at the request of the administration of US President Joe Biden, which is looking for a way to persuade Hamas to accept the ceasefire agreement that Biden considers necessary amid the tense political situation surrounding the war in Gaza.
Following the threats, Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, announced that the movement would not agree to any deal that did not meet its conditions, stressing that the current proposal presented by Biden is unacceptable because it does not guarantee an end to the war from the movement’s point of view.
Hamas’ response poses an obstacle to Biden’s efforts to revive long-stalled negotiations, which aim to stop the fighting in Gaza and release Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
In a phone call last Monday, Biden urged the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, “to use all appropriate measures to ensure Hamas accepts the agreement,” according to a White House statement.
So far, the US administration has not received a final response from Hamas, as National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated, “We are still waiting for an official response from Hamas. We have seen some public comments, but we do not take them as official or confirmatory in any way or form.” “With another.”
According to the newspaper, this is the first time that Qatar has threatened to expel Hamas leaders from their base in Doha, where they have resided for more than a decade, and this warning appears to reflect increasing pressure on Qatar by the United States to take strict measures against Hamas.
Daniel Levy, a former Israeli official and negotiator, pointed out that the current negotiations are at risk of repeating the failures of previous rounds, stressing that “Biden’s position may provide an opportunity to break the stalemate by setting a path to a permanent ceasefire in which all stages are linked.”
Levy added: “As soon as Netanyahu opposed stopping the first stage of the road to a permanent halt, the United States failed the test and surrendered.”
“By refusing to emphasize a clear link to a permanent ceasefire, the Biden administration has put us back on a predictable path,” Levy said.
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