Netanyahu says removing Hamas leaders in Qatar could end Gaza war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that eliminating Hamas’s leaders would bring an end to the war in Gaza, accusing them of repeatedly derailing ceasefire efforts.

“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza. They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war,” he said on X.

“Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”

Netanyahu ‘obstacle’ to ending Gaza war

The main Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza said Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the chief obstacle to freeing the captives, shortly after he accused Hamas’s leaders of prolonging the war.

“The targeted operation in Qatar proved beyond any doubt that there is one obstacle to returning the… hostages and ending the war: Prime Minister Netanyahu,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, referring to Israel’s recent strike on a meeting of Hamas members in the Gulf state.

“Every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it,” they added.

Earlier in the evening, the premier had said eliminating Hamas’s leaders in Qatar would bring an end to the war, accusing the group of derailing past efforts to secure a ceasefire.

“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza. They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war,” he said on X.

“Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”

The forum, however, characterised the accusation as Netanyahu’s latest “excuse” for failing to bring home the captives.

“The time has come to end the excuses designed to buy time so he can cling to power,” the forum said.

“This stalling… threatens the lives of additional hostages who are barely surviving after nearly two years in captivity, as well as the recovery of those who have died.”

Qatar strike ’not going to change’ US-Israel ties

The United States is “not happy” about Israeli strikes targeting Hamas in Qatar, but the attack will not change Washington’s allied status with Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday as he departed for the region.

Tuesday’s air strikes – the first by Israel against US ally Qatar – have rocked the region and put huge strain on diplomatic efforts to bring about a truce in war-ravaged Gaza.

“What’s happened has happened. Obviously, we were not happy about it, the president was not happy about it,” Rubio told reporters shortly before departing Washington for discussions with officials in Israel.

“It’s not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis, but we are going to have to talk about it – primarily, what impact does this have” on the truce efforts, Rubio added.

“We need to move forward and figure out what comes next, because at the end of the day, when all is said and done, there is still a group called Hamas, which is an evil group.”