October 7, 2025 | WSJ Letter to the Editor
Is Qatar Finally Ready to Split With Hamas?
Doha has played double games before, and unless it sustains its pressure, this may prove to be another one.
October 7, 2025 | WSJ Letter to the Editor
Is Qatar Finally Ready to Split With Hamas?
Doha has played double games before, and unless it sustains its pressure, this may prove to be another one.
Excerpt
Amit Segal writes that “change is afoot,” as Doha is finally pressing Hamas to accept the Gaza peace deal President Trump has put on the table (“Why Qatar Changed Course on Hamas,” op-ed, Oct. 1). Qatari support for the proposal is a positive development, but the U.S. should be cautious it isn’t fleeting. Doha has played double games before, and unless it sustains its pressure on Hamas, this may prove to be another one.
Qatar’s next move will be telling. Hamas agreed in part on Friday to the Trump administration’s proposal for Gaza, essentially saying, “Yes, but,” with the apparent intention of stalling the plan’s roll out. If talks drag on, will Doha increase the pressure on its longtime client, or back new conditions that Hamas demands and side with terrorists as it did on Oct. 7, 2023?
Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at FDD focusing on the Middle East and the Gulf.