Qatar becomes a key intermediary in the Israel-Hamas conflict

Photo Courtesy: Egyptian Presidential Office/Handout/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Qatar has become an unlikely mediator between the state of Israel and Hamas following the 7th October attacks. 

The past two decades have seen Qatar show copious amounts of support to Hamas. By hosting leaders of Hamas in Doha since 2012 and financially supporting Gaza– the only Arab state to do so – Qatar has cemented its position as a firm ally of those presiding over the Gaza Strip. Indeed, in 2012, the Emir at the time, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, became the first head of state to visit the Gaza strip. 

As Qatar’s influence grows, whilst keeping relations with Israel quiet in the past few years (despite Qatar's 30 million monthly transfers to Hamas), the country finds itself in an unusual position to play as a broker between the two. 

Such a role is not novel for Qatar. In recent years they have acted as intermediaries with great effect. Notably, in facilitating the handover of US hostages in Iran in September, and this month by coordinating the return of Ukrainian children between Ukraine and Russia. 

Despite Qatar's very ambiguous position on the world stage, the country is proving to be a significant actor in perturbing the beginning of a full-scale Israeli invasion of Gaza by playing a pivotal role in assisting the return of over 220 hostages captured by Hamas on 7th October.

In the past few days, four Israeli hostages have been handed over in a move that an Israeli National Security Adviser has hailed as an indication that Qatar is ‘becoming an essential party and stakeholder in the facilitation of humanitarian solutions’.  

In a sign that progress is being made, it is reported that Qatar hopes to ‘soon’ secure the release of around 50 hostages, that hold dual-citizenship, from Hamas. 

Ahead of the expected land incursion into Gaza by the Israeli Defence Force, questions over hostages, which Israel has historically approached with great sensitivity, appear determinative to Israel’s full-scale land invasion of Gaza - when the invasion begins it is widely assumed the negotiations will stop.