Qatar has agreed to remove Hamas from its country after the US government asked the Middle East nation to do so.
According to reports, several top leaders of the group reside in Doha.
The US reportedly made the request after the group did not accept the ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war.
With efforts to pause the war – which has been a top priority for President Joe Biden – firmly stalled, US officials informed their Qatari counterparts about two weeks ago that they must stop giving Hamas refuge in their capital; Qatar agreed and gave Hamas notice about a week ago, sources told CNN.
“Hamas is a terrorist group that has killed Americans and continues to hold Americans hostage,” a senior administration official told the American news channel.
“After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner,” the official said.
However, the exact time when Hamas operatives are expected to be removed from Qatar or where they will go is still not clear.
One US official told CNN the group has not been given an extended amount of time to leave the country.
Qatar has been playing a key role in the attempt to secure a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Qatar has yet to confirm that it has ordered Hamas officials to leave the country, but Qatari officials repeatedly told The Times of Israel throughout the past year that Doha was prepared to oust the group and would do so once a formal request from Washington was submitted.
The Middle East witnessed the start of the conflict in 2023 after Hamas group members attacked Israel.
