The head of Hamas's political wing, Ismail Haniyeh. (Credit: AFP archive photo)
The political wing of Hamas is reportedly seeking to leave its current base in Qatar against a backdrop of complicated negotiations led in particular by the Gulf state between the Palestinian group and Israel aimed at declaring a truce in Gaza and an exchange of hostages, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
The information was released as US lawmakers pressured Doha to try to achieve results in the talks. According to the US newspaper, such a relocation of Hamas's political offices could "jeopardize these delicate negotiations" and "make it more difficult for Israel and the United States to convey messages to a group designated by Washington as a terrorist organization."
Arab officials quoted by the media report that Hamas has contacted two countries in the region, including Oman, to ask "whether they would be open to the idea of its political leaders settling in their capitals," as Hamas believes that the slow pace of hostage negotiations could last for months, jeopardizing its close ties with Qatar and its presence in Doha, the publication added.
"In recent weeks, mediators from Qatar and Egypt have put pressure on Hamas representatives to soften their conditions. The movement's leaders have sometimes been threatened with expulsion if they do not accept an agreement on the release of the hostages," the same source said.
The WSJ article was published after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas's political wing, in Qatar on Tuesday. Haniyeh said the Islamist group was ready to disband its military wing once a Palestinian state had been created with the 1967 borders. Haniyeh arrived in Turkey on Friday evening, where he is due to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.