Hamas’ political office in Doha has not been permanently closed

On By Littum

The political office of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Doha has not been permanently closed, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday.

Al-Ansari said the leaders of Hamas’ negotiating team were not in Doha.

This comes after reports that senior members of Hamas’ leadership outside Gaza have been in Turkey in recent days, Israeli state broadcaster KAN reported on Sunday.

An American source confirmed to KAN earlier in November that Qatar had agreed to remove Hamas from its territory.

However, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday that reports that Hamas’ office had moved to Turkey did not reflect the truth.

A protester waves Turkish and Palestinian flags during a protest to express support for Palestinians in Gaza, a day before the anniversary of the October 7 attack amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 6, 2024. (credit : REUTERS/Umit BEKTAS)

The American source spoke to KAN after an earlier report by the state broadcaster claimed that Qatar had told the terror group: “You are not welcome here.”

In addition, Reuters had also reported that the US was putting pressure on Doha to expel Hamas weeks after the terror organization rejected the latest hostage deal/ceasefire proposal.

Sam Halpern contributed to this report.