Khalil al-Hayya and Hamas at the helm: Qatar sends a resounding message to the Middle East
Unlike in recent years, Qatar has begun to publicly highlight its meetings with senior officials of the Hamas terrorist organization. This comes against the backdrop of concern in Israel following Kushner's meeting with Khalil al-Hayya.
An official and public meeting held Wednesday by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya in Doha marks a change in how Qatar chooses to present its relations with the organization's leadership. The meeting took place at the Prime Minister's official residence against the backdrop of state symbols, and its documentation was quickly distributed — a publicity that Doha had generally avoided in its contacts with the Hamas leadership since October 7. Alongside al-Hayya, other senior Hamas officials participated in the meeting, which took place against the backdrop of recent Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip.
The meeting was held at a particularly sensitive time. A few days earlier, Jared Kushner met in Egypt with al-Hayya as part of efforts to advance the next phase of President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza. In these contacts, Hamas was required to move forward with the demilitarization of the Strip, and the "Peace Council" later claimed that the organization had committed to full disarmament and an immediate cessation of its military activity. Representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey also participated in the meeting with Kushner, and Hamas, for its part, demanded that Israel stop the strikes and move forward in fulfilling its obligations. From Qatar's perspective, Kushner's meeting with al-Hayya has a clear advantage: it makes it easier for it to present its own meetings with the Hamas leadership as part of the mediation work it has been conducting for years.
The publicity with which the meeting in Doha was held is no less striking than the fact of its existence. Iranian and Turkish leaders have met openly with Hamas figures since October 7, while Qatar — although it has hosted the organization's leadership for years and continued contacts with it as part of the mediation — has been more cautious about the images coming out of Doha. This time, the meeting was presented in a distinctly official format, and its documentation was quickly distributed. After Kushner's meeting with Hamas, the political price that Doha might pay for such images is lower. The Qataris can also lean on this meeting to repeat the claim they have been making for years: the connection with Hamas is intended for mediation, is done with the knowledge of the US, and serves it as well in times of need.
Donald Trump takes off on Air Force One, which was received as a gift from Qatar (Photo: Fox News)
At the meeting in Doha, the Qatari Prime Minister welcomed the acceptance of the roadmap for implementing the second phase of the agreement, but at the same time called for pressure to be exerted on Israel to fulfill its obligations and stop what Qatar defines as ongoing violations in the Strip. Doha seeks to remain a central player in the mediation mechanism led by the US, and at the same time, it continues to exert pressure on Israel and maintain a direct channel with the Hamas leadership. Recently, Qatar has sharpened its public criticism of Israel's activity in the Strip and claimed, along with Egypt and Turkey, that the Israeli strikes are hindering progress in implementing the next phase of the agreement.
This is how Qatar has operated for years: it keeps channels open with actors on both sides of the divide. Now, as Israel continues to operate militarily in Gaza and Doha accuses it of delaying the implementation of the agreements, the Qataris need to provide an answer to both Hamas and Arab public opinion. They do not want the role of mediator to label them as those who effectively accept the continuation of Israeli freedom of action in the Strip. At the same time, they are careful not to harm Qatar's status in Washington and its joint work with Egypt and Turkey. As the strikes in Gaza continue while political contacts are underway, the need in Doha to show that it is not satisfied with merely passing American messages to Hamas is growing.
The schedule of the Qatari Prime Minister is also interesting in this context. The meeting was held on the eve of his departure to Egypt for the seventh session of the joint Egypt-Qatar Higher Committee in El Alamein. Officially, a significant part of the agenda there is economic: the two countries are deepening trade and investment ties following the launch of the first phase of the mega-project "Alem El-Roum" on Egypt's northern coast, the total scope of which is estimated at nearly $30 billion.
Qatar and Egypt are also two of the central players in the mediation in Gaza, and Trump's plan requires them to coordinate closely around Hamas. The Qatari Prime Minister arrives at the meeting in El Alamein immediately after sitting with al-Hayya, so it is hard to assume that Gaza and Hamas will not be part of the talks, alongside the official and broad economic agenda of the committee.
The Qatari Prime Minister has recently been maintaining close coordination with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan regarding regional developments. After the meeting with al-Hayya, the Qatari Prime Minister also left for Saudi Arabia and met with bin Farhan. Within a few days, he moved between the Hamas leadership, Riyadh, and Cairo, while Qatar is also a partner in the contacts being managed by the US. For the Qataris, the ability to speak with all these actors is one of their sources of influence: directly with Hamas, with the Americans, and with the important Arab capitals.
Dr. Ariel Admoni from Ariel University and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security says: "The constant Qatari naivety justifies its ties with Hamas as being done for the sake of mediation and with American approval, but in fact, Qatar is careful to highlight its ties with Hamas, such as placing Qatari flags and the symbols of its funds as part of the activity of the Qatari committee in Gaza."
The meeting with al-Hayya highlights once again the value that Qatar attaches to its direct channel with Hamas. After Kushner himself met with the organization's leadership, Doha can afford to present this connection publicly and in a much more official framework than before. From the Qataris' perspective, this is also a message to partners in the region: as long as Hamas remains a factor that needs to be spoken to about the future of Gaza, Doha has an advantage that most other capitals do not have — direct access to the organization's leadership.
