Qatar resumes Gaza mediation role as Trump envoy pushes for ceasefire

US President-elect Donald Trump has started a diplomatic effort for a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to the news agency, Trump’s designated envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with the prime ministers of Qatar and Israel in November on the issue of the Gaza war.

It said there is an indication from the United States that as a result of the meeting, Qatar has resumed its mediation role.

It is likely that Hamas negotiators will return to Doha to facilitate a new round of talks.

It should be noted that at the beginning of November 2024, a report by the British news agency quoted an American official as saying that the United States has demanded Qatar to deport the leadership of Hamas. He also informed about the American demand.

Later, Majid Al-Ansari, a spokesman of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that the political office of the Palestinian organization Hamas in Doha has not been closed permanently.

Ansari further said that the office of Hamas was created to facilitate mediation efforts to end the Gaza war, obviously, when there is no mediation process, the office has no special role.

The Qatari spokesman said that any decision regarding the permanent closure of the Hamas office in Doha will be informed directly by us and should not be part of media speculation.