Media outlets, citing Qatari officials familair with the talks, report that Qatar and Egypt have told HAMAS leaders in recent days that they face possible arrest, freezing of their assets, sanctions and expulsion from their haven in Doha if they don’t agree to a cease-fire with Israel.
CNN reported June 6 that Qatar has threatened to expel senior Hamas officials from Doha if the terrorist group does not accept a deal for the release of Israeli hostages and an end to the war in the Gaza Strip.
CNN cited a U.S. official as saying that that Qatar has been warning Hamas for months that its members could be expelled, and now the country has issued a concrete threat following repeated requests from U.S. President Joe Biden and public criticism from Israel.
Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reports that Saudi state-run media Al Arabiya cited HAMAS figures as saying mediator countries did not say they would detain chiefs, but make no mention of other reported potential sanctions.
Egypt and Qatar did not threaten to arrest HAMAS leaders if they did not accept the latest hostage deal proposal, HAMAS sources reportedly told Al Arabiya on June 9.
HAMAS, which initially said it “positively views” the proposal, has since signaled it would likely reject the deal.
“There is a gap between what is in the paper and President Biden’s statements,” HAMAS said last Wednesday, adding that the alleged discrepancy had led to “confusion and controversy.”
