Doha : Reuters quoted an informed official as saying that Qatar will withdraw from mediation efforts to stop the ceasefire in Gaza until “Hamas and Israel show a sincere willingness to return to the negotiating table.” The official added that Qatar also concluded that the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Doha “no longer serves its purpose.” “The Qataris have been saying since the beginning of the conflict that they can only mediate when both sides show a genuine interest in finding a solution,” the official said, adding that Qatar had notified Hamas, Israel and the US administration of its decision. In contrast, Agence France-Presse quoted a Hamas leader as confirming that the movement had not received any request to leave Qatar and close its office in Doha. Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Qatar has been leading mediation efforts alongside Egypt and the United States. After reaching a temporary truce agreement in November 2023, during which prisoners and detainees were exchanged between Hamas and Israel, other rounds of mediation failed to reach an agreement to end the war that claimed more than 40,000 Palestinian martyrs and caused widespread destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

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