Qatar suspends mediation efforts for Gaza ceasefire, denies closure of Hamas office Western media reports claimed Doha asked Hamas to shutter its political offices and leave the kingdom under pressure from the US News Desk The Qatari foreign ministry on 9 November announced that Doha is suspending its mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza until the parties “show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war and the ongoing suffering of civilians.” In a statement published on social media, Foreign Ministry spokesman Dr. Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari also denied western media reports that said Doha had asked Hamas officials to shutter their political offices and leave the kingdom. “Media reports regarding the Hamas office in Doha [are] inaccurate … the main goal of the office in Qatar is to be a channel of communication between the concerned parties, and this channel has contributed to achieving a ceasefire in previous stages,” Ansari told Qatar News Agency (QNA), stressing “the need to obtain information from official sources.” Doha reportedly notified Tel Aviv and Hamas 10 days ago it would suspend its mediation efforts if a ceasefire agreement were not reached. "The State of Qatar will not accept that mediation be a reason for blackmailing it, as we have witnessed manipulation since the collapse of the first pause and the women and children exchange deal, especially in retreating from obligations agreed upon through mediation, and exploiting the continuation of negotiations to justify the continuation of the war to serve narrow political purposes," Ansari said. On Friday, western media cited “diplomatic sources” as saying that, under direct pressure from Washington, Qatar told Hamas officials over a week ago that the Palestinian resistance group must close its diplomatic office in Doha. “After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, [Hamas] leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas’s rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal,” a US senior administration official was quoted as saying. Al Jazeera cited a senior Hamas official saying on Saturday that the group is “aware” of Qatar’s decision to suspend mediation efforts, “but no one told us to leave.” "The Qatari leadership did not ask Hamas to leave Doha, but the movement has developed some alternative plans to move its offices to other places," Al Mayadeen quoted a Hamas official as saying. https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27636