Qatari PM meets families of Israeli hostages and former DM Gantz in Paris

Al-Thani vows to work toward securing a deal to release Israeli hostages from Hamas in Gaza

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Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met with the families of Israeli hostages, as well as with former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, on Tuesday in the French capital Paris. World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder reportedly also attended the high-level meeting amid new efforts to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Alongside Egypt and the United States, Qatar has invested considerable diplomatic capital in mediating a hostage-release and ceasefire deal between the Hamas terrorist organization and Israel.

Al-Thani told the families of the hostages that he would continue working to secure the release of their loved ones.

"Even if there are difficulties, I will not let go of this mission. I look at my daughters, and I see the hostages in Gaza. My daughter could have been there," al-Thani vowed.

The Qatari prime minister stressed that he understood the emotional difficulties families of the hostages were facing, recalling that one of his relatives had been kidnapped in Iraq.

Al-Thani also met with former Israeli War Cabinet Minister and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz. While there are no official diplomatic ties between Qatar and Israel, the two leaders reportedly developed close ties while Gantz led Israel's Ministry of Defense between 2020 and 2022.

Gantz reportedly told the Qatari leader that he seeks public support for a “good” hostage agreement and urged al-Thani to "apply more pressure on Hamas."

In November, Qatar facilitated a limited truce, which led to the release of 105 hostages from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being detained in Israeli jails.

Qatar has a complex relationship with Hamas. While the tiny Gulf state currently acts as a key mediator in the hostage and ceasefire talks, Qatar has supported Hamas financially for years, with as much as $30 million a month. In 2023, a Qatari official told the German news outlet Der Spiegel that Qatar had transferred a total of more than $1.8 billion. While this financial assistance was formally earmarked as humanitarian aid to Gaza, Hamas leaders used most of the money to enrich themselves and invested heavily in expanding Hamas’ military and terrorist capabilities.

Several top Hamas leaders, including Khaled Meshaal, reside in the Qatari capital Doha. Hamas’ former political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran in late July, also resided in Qatar.

Furthermore, Israel and several Sunni Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have criticized Qatar for its close financial and ideological ties with extremist Islamist movements like Hamas. Many Israeli and international officials have consequently blasted Qatar as an untrustworthy broker in the ongoing indirect talks between Hamas and Israel.

Earlier this year, following diplomatic pressure from the Biden administration, Qatar reportedly threatened to expel Hamas leaders from the country unless they displayed their commitment to secure a ceasefire deal.

In April, Hamas leaders reportedly considered relocating from Qatar and explored Turkey, Jordan, or Oman as potential new bases for their operations. Turkey already hosts some Hamas leaders, and the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emerged as a strong supporter of Hamas against Israel during the war in Gaza.