Its influence over Hamas has been crucial but Doha will want formal multilateral mechanisms for what happens next
As the world waits to see if the Gaza ceasefire holds, the role of Qatar, one of the four guarantors of the agreement, is absolutely central.
Probably more than any other country, the vastly wealthy Gulf state holds influence over what Hamas may choose to do in future. This stems from its complicated twin status as an Israeli-endorsed mediator and a unilateral conduit for aid and cash to Hamas in Gaza. For more than a decade, Qatar has also hosted the political leadership of Hamas in Doha.
By signing the New York declaration on 29 July along with other Arab states, Qatar for the first time agreed to the principle of Hamas ending its rule in Gaza and handing over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority (PA) “in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state”.
It also “condemned the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October”, in a significant step that brought Qatar’s position closer to those of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
