Qatar’s prime minister has said the Gulf state is re-evaluating its role mediating between Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza, saying Doha’s efforts were being undermined by politicians with “narrow interests”.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said he “lamented the political exploitation” of Doha’s diplomacy by some politicians who were “marketing their electoral campaigns through the defamation of Qatar’s role”.
Sheikh Mohammed’s comments late on Wednesday came after US Democratic congressman Steny Hoyer said Hamas was using Qatar to exact greater concessions from Israel, adding that if Doha failed to apply pressure on the Palestinian militant group the “United States must re-evaluate its relationship with Qatar”.