Qatar decides to suspend mediation efforts in Gaza, officials say, as Israeli strikes kill at least 16

Qatar has decided to suspend its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, officials said Saturday.

A Qatari official briefed on the matter told CBS News that the country is “stepping back” as they assess that neither Israel nor Hamas are serious about a deal. The official said Qatar would be happy to resume its role as a mediator if both sides are willing to negotiate seriously. 

The Qatari government declined to officially comment on the report. 

CBS News can report that the United States asked Qatar last week to kick Hamas out of the negotiation process after the group refused to take up a hostage deal proposed after the death of Yahya Sinwar. 

A diplomatic source briefed on the matter told the Associated Press that Israel and Hamas, along with the United States, were informed after the decision was made. The source added that “as a consequence, the Hamas political office no longer serves its purpose” in Qatar. The U.S. has been in discussions with Qatar over the right time to close the office. 

“Qatar has played an invaluable role in helping to mediate a hostage deal and was instrumental in securing the release of nearly 200 hostages last year,” a senior administration official told CBS News. “However, following Hamas’s repeated refusal to release even a small number of hostages, including most recently during meetings in Cairo, their continued presence in Doha is no longer viable or acceptable.”

A senior Hamas official told the AP they were aware of Qatar’s decision to suspend mediation efforts, “but no one told us to leave.”

Qatar’s announcement comes after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal.

“After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, (Hamas) leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas’ rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal,” the U.S. senior administration official told CBS News.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The Israeli prime minister’s office had no comment.

Meanwhile, three separate Israeli strikes killed at least 16 people, including women and children, in Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian medical officials said, while Israel announced the first delivery of humanitarian aid in weeks to hungry, devastated northern Gaza.

There continued to be no end in sight to Israel’s campaigns against Hamas militants in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel’s military said that it struck command centers and other militant infrastructure overnight in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

One of the strikes in Gaza hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City’s eastern Tufah neighborhood, killing at least six people, the territory’s Health Ministry said. Two local journalists, a pregnant woman and a child were among the dead, it said. The Israeli army said the strike targeted a militant belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, offering no evidence or details.

Seven people were killed when an Israeli strike hit a tent in the southern city of Khan Younis where displaced people were sheltering, according to Nasser Hospital. It said the dead included two women and a child. The Israeli army didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

And Palestinian medical officials said an Israeli strike hit tents in the courtyard of central Gaza’s main hospital, including one serving as a police point. At least three people were killed and a local journalist was wounded, Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah said. It was the eighth Israeli attack on the compound since March.

The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said Saturday that 11 aid trucks containing food, water and medical equipment reached the far north of the enclave on Thursday, including the urban refugee camp at Jabaliya. It is the first time any aid has reached the far north of the enclave since Israel began a fresh military campaign there last month.

But not all the aid reached the agreed drop-off points, according to a spokesperson for the U.N. World Food Program, which was involved in the delivery process. In Jabaliya, Israeli troops stopped one of the convoys bound for nearby Beit Lahiya and ordered the supplies to be offloaded, said Alia Zaki.

The announcement comes days ahead of a U.S. deadline demanding that Israel improve aid deliveries across Gaza. Experts have said there is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in parts of northern Gaza.

Israel’s new offensive has focused on Jabaliya, a densely populated refugee camp where Israel says Hamas had regrouped. Other areas affected by the new campaign include Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, situated just north of Gaza City.

The U.N. estimates that tens of thousands of people remain in the area. Earlier this week, the Gaza Health Ministry said that there were no ambulances or emergency crews currently operating north of Gaza City.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the Israeli army has struck several schools and tent camps, packed with tens of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by Israeli offensives and evacuation orders. The conflict has left 90% of Palestinians in Gaza displaced, according to U.N. figures.

The military has continually accused Hamas of operating from within civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including schools, U.N. facilities and hospitals. The contesting narratives over the use of schools and hospitals go to the heart of the 13-month conflict.

In July, Israeli airstrikes hit a girls’ school in Gaza’s central city of Deir al-Balah, killing at least 30 people sheltering inside. Israel’s military said it targeted a Hamas command center used to direct attacks against its troops and store “large quantities of weapons.”

More than a year of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but say more than half of those killed were women and children. The war began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.

Margaret Brennan and Claire Day contributed reporting.