The newspaper stated in its report that Qatar hosted the political leadership of Hamas in 2012 with the approval of America and Israel, and the American administration secretly encouraged Doha to continue its mediation role because expelling Hamas, as some American politicians demand, could sever a vital channel of communication with the movement.

Qatar is angered by the incitement against it and the exploitation of the mediation file

Earlier this year, Texas A&M University announced it would close its campus in Doha, a move Qatar criticized as based on “misleading information.”

Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill last week threatening to end US recognition of Qatar as a non-NATO ally unless it expels Hamas leaders.

According to “The Times” report, for a country hosting the largest US military base in the region and heavily invested in enhancing its image by hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the criticisms were harsh.

Discontent surfaced in Doha publicly last week when Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani criticized what he called “narrow political interests” and said Qatar would “reassess” its role as a mediator.

Informed sources say Hamas will not be asked to leave before the end of the war in Gaza, and if the movement’s leaders do withdraw from Doha, it is uncertain which country will receive them.

Turkey has strongly praised Hamas as a “resistance group” and maintains a low-level representation office for Hamas, as does Egypt, which also participates in the mediation file.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau based in Doha, in Istanbul on Saturday during his visit.

However, Turkey is also a member of NATO and maintains diplomatic relations with the occupying state, and it has a short-lived experience of hosting Saleh al-Arouri that did not last long, according to three regional officials who said Turkey rejected the idea secretly but may change its mind, according to “The Times” report.

Lebanon would not be a promising option as Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated there in January in an Israeli airstrike.

Other options include Algeria, Oman, and Iran – an unattractive prospect for a Sunni Arab organization that does not want to be seen in the region as an agent of Iran.

Hamas denies that this issue was raised during discussions with the Qataris.

A senior Hamas official told The Times, “This issue was not raised, it is nonsense and has no impact on reality and has not been discussed within the movement.”

Western lobbyists pushing to pressure Doha

Western lobbyists pushing to pressure Doha American and Western diplomats say their governments do not share the criticisms of politicians, and Doha believes the attacks are the work of pressure groups acting on behalf of Qatar’s regional competitors and also on behalf of Israel.

The regional competitors here refer to Qatar’s neighboring countries, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

However, Qatar has felt disappointed because the US administration did not publicly defend it, and criticisms may increase in November if Donald Trump wins the elections, said one Western diplomat, “They are looking at the long term.”

Trump, who is closer to Saudi Arabia and the UAE than Qatar, supported the boycott led by these two countries against the Gulf state in 2017. He softened his opposition to Doha when he learned that Qatar hosts a major US airbase, according to another Western diplomat.

Later, Trump found Qatar indispensable when it hosted US negotiations with the Taliban to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.