Qatar and Egypt have recently warned senior Hamas leaders that they could face arrests, asset freezes, sanctions and expulsion from Doha if they do not accept a proposed hostage release deal in exchange for a halt to the war, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, following a similar report from CNN.
Mohamed al-Hindi, a senior member of Islamic Jihad, denied any such threats in an interview with the Saudi-owned Al Majalla journal.
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Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Ismail Haniyeh, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani
(Photo: Mark Schiefelbein / Reuters, Vahid Salemi / AP, EPA)
These threats were reportedly issued at the behest of the Biden administration, which has been pushing for a cease-fire agreement. In a call on Monday, President Biden urged Qatar's leader, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, to "use all appropriate means to secure a Hamas agreement," according to a White House statement.
Despite these pressures, Hamas continues to reject the deal, which does not guarantee an end to the war in its initial phase. CIA Director William Burns has asked Qatari and Egyptian officials to assure Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political bureau, that mediating countries would ensure negotiations to end the fighting would commence in the third week of the first phase and that terms would be agreed upon by the fifth week.
Haniyeh reportedly rejected this proposal, insisting that Hamas would only agree to the deal if Israel commits to a permanent cease-fire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated that Israel will not agree to end the war, leading to the threats against Hamas.
This is not the first time Qatar has threatened Hamas leaders with expulsion, having issued a similar warning in March regarding a cease-fire agreement. However, according to CNN, this latest warning has escalated into a credible threat.
"They know Qatar would have no option but to expel them if the administration asks them to," a senior official involved in the talks told the Wall Street Journal.