U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Emir of Qatar Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, in Doha, Oct. 24, 2024. (Credit: Nathan Howard/AFP)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Thursday for talks with officials from Qatar, the country mediating the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as part of a new tour of the region. Blinken's visit to the Gulf emirate, home to Hamas's political office, follows talks in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Two days after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Blinken is due to meet the Emir of Qatar, Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, and his Prime Minister, Mohammad ben Abdelrahmane Al-Thani, in Doha to assess Hamas's position on a truce.
This is the eleventh visit to the region by the head of U.S. diplomacy since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023 in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has been in power since 2007. U.S. President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris, engaged in a tight race against Republican Donald Trump for the Nov. 5 election, are facing criticism from the left wing of the Democratic Party for their “unwavering” support for Israel.
Pressed to end the war in the Gaza Strip, the United States sees the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, as a unique opportunity, and intends to redouble its efforts towards a cease-fire. Yahya Sinwar was considered a frontal obstacle in the negotiations conducted through the mediation of the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
“I sincerely believe that the death of [Yahya] Sinwar creates an important opportunity to bring the hostages home, to end the war,” said the head of U.S. diplomacy in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, referring to the hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, some 100 of whom are still being held captive in Gaza. Blinken declared that the cease-fire plan proposed by Joe Biden on May 31 was still on the table, while hinting at a willingness to explore “new frameworks” to free the hostages. He is also seeking to establish a reconstruction and governance plan for Gaza, an essential element in his view for ending the war.
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