Opinion: Why Qatar won't let Hamas go just yet

The roadmap to a diplomatic solution in Gaza has been stalled for months. The little trust that was built between Israel and Hamas during the short-lived pause in fighting last November has since been eroded by parties on both sides, for whom this conflict is about political survival. 

Meanwhile, mediator Qatar has come under increased pressure from narrow political interest groups in Washington, triggering a debate in the Gulf state about the utility of its relationship with Hamas moving forward. 

Some voices in Doha feel that the burden of hosting the political leadership of the militant group, an arrangement the US has long endorsed, is starting to outweigh the benefits of being the go-to diplomatic broker in Palestine. Especially within the polarised Washington bubble, where pro-Israel lobbying networks have gone into overdrive since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, pressure on Qatar from US lawmakers in campaign mode is mounting.

READ MORE: Why Qatar won't let Hamas go just yet, opinion by Andreas Krieg