FT-Qatar Reconsiders Israel-Hamas Mediator Role

The FT is reporting that Qatar is reconsidering its months-long role as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas in the ongoing war in Gaza. PM and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said that the Qatari gov'ts efforts "were being undermined by politicians with “narrow interests”. [...] he “lamented the political exploitation” of Doha’s diplomacy by some politicians who were “marketing their electoral campaigns through the defamation of Qatar’s role”."

• On 17 April, former US House majority leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) claimed that "Hamas was using Qatar to exact greater concessions from Israel, adding that if Doha failed to apply pressure on the Palestinian militant group the “United States must re-evaluate its relationship with Qatar”".
• Qatar has long been one of the US' closest allies in the Middle East. Despite the lack of progress towards a ceasefire deal in Gaza and the obstacles posed to talks by the current Israel-Iran tenstions, the White House is unlikely to want to see Doha pull back from being closely involved in future talks. It would leave Egypt as the sole other MENA nation hosting any talks.