News Desk - The Cradle
An Israeli foreign ministry official has raised concerns over Qatar’s close relationship with Hamas
In an interview with Israeli military radio, the Deputy-Director for Strategic Affairs at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Joshua Zarka, raised concerns over Qatar’s “role in everything related to hosting and legitimizing Hamas’s activities.”
“Right now, we need them. But when this thing passes from the world, we will settle accounts with them,” the official said.
His comments come two days after the Jerusalem Post reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given Doha guarantees that Israel will not act against Hamas leaders living in Qatar.
"Doha presented its precondition to Israel a few weeks ago before assuming its role as a mediator in the abductee issue," sources told French news outlet Le Figaro. Israel recently said it would carry out assassinations against Hamas leaders whether or not a truce was in place.
Qatar has long financed the resistance group’s political leadership and hosts a Hamas political office in its capital, Doha.
While having no official diplomatic relations with Israel, the two states enjoy close ties. Qatar, alongside Egypt, has for years played a mediation role between Israel and the Palestinians, particularly during the wars with Gaza.
Qatar hosted Mossad chief David Barnea and the head of the CIA, William Burns, on 28 November for meetings on further extending the current truce in Gaza, which is on its final day.
Five rounds of prisoner exchanges have been carried out as part of the agreement. Sixty Israeli women and children have been released by Hamas in exchange for Israel’s release of 180 Palestinian prisoners, all women or teenage males.
Mediators are currently discussing more prisoner exchanges.
Hamas "informed the mediators that it is willing to extend the truce for four days” on Wednesday, a source close to the resistance group told AFP.
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