Iraq may host Hamas as Qatar and US mount pressure for flexibility on ceasefire talks

Iran would be responsible for protecting the group in Baghdad if move is finalised

Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, third from right, and political leader Ismail Haniyeh, fourth from right. The group is under pressure to accept a US ceasefire proposal in Gaza. AFP

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Hamas plans to leave Qatar for Iraq, as pressure from Doha and the US mounts on the group's political leaders to show greater flexibility in talks for a Gaza ceasefire.

The Iraqi government approved the move last month, sources told The National on Monday.

Iran will be responsible for protecting Hamas’s leaders, offices and personnel in Baghdad, the sources added.

The move was discussed last month by Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh and representatives of the Iraqi and Iranian governments. Those talks were confirmed by a senior Iraqi MP and the leader of a political party with close ties to an Iran-backed armed group.

The potential move was also reviewed separately last month by Mr Haniyeh and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who spoke by telephone, the senior Iraqi MP said.

"There is no consensus among Iraqi political groups on Hamas’s move to Baghdad," the senior Iraqi MP told The National. "Some, especially the Kurds and some Sunnis, fear it will deepen differences with the United States. But despite the lack of consensus, the government’s decision to host Hamas will not be reversed."

The Iraqi MP and the political leader said Baghdad has welcomed the idea of Hamas maintaining a high-profile presence in Iraq.

The group's leaders have yet to set a date for the move, they said.

Hamas this month opened a political office, led by senior official Mohammed Al Hafy, in Baghdad, they said.

There are plans for the group to open a media office in the city in the coming weeks.

The Iraqi government did not respond to requests for comment.

The potential move to Iraq comes as Gaza ceasefire negotiations, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar, remain deadlocked.

Senior US officials have blamed Hamas for the lack of progress, after President Joe Biden outlined a proposal to end the war, in which more than 37,500 Palestinians have been killed since October.

There has been no significant contact between mediators, Hamas and Israel since Hamas effectively rejected Mr Biden's proposals earlier this month.

If Hamas's political leaders move to Iraq, it would create further challenges to ceasefire negotiations as Qatar would potentially have less influence on the militant group, which has controlled Gaza since 2007 and whose political leaders have lived in Qatar since 2012.

Hamas plans to retain some form of representation in Doha to oversee relations with Qatar, another source said. The country is expected to be among the major contributors to reconstruction efforts in Gaza after the war.

Doha, a close ally of Washington and home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, has for years been the main financial backer of the Hamas-led government in Gaza. Iran, which maintains warm relations with Qatar, is also a key supporter of Hamas.

Hamas security and logistics teams have travelled to Baghdad to oversee preparations for the move, the sources said.

News of the potential move come weeks after the sources revealed the group’s leaders were under growing pressure from Qatar to accept US proposals for a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages and Palestinian detainees with Israel.

Hamas has rejected the proposals, repeating its demands that any agreement must provide for a permanent ceasefire in the enclave, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reconstruction of Gaza and the unconditional return of Palestinians displaced by the conflict.

Hamas officials were told they could face expulsion from Qatar and punitive measures, including the freezing of assets outside Gaza, if the group did not show flexibility in negotiations, the sources added.

The warning was delivered to the Hamas political leadership, including Mr Haniyeh, in a meeting in Doha this month with Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The talks took place after a visit to Doha by CIA director William Burns, who has been acting as Washington’s chief ceasefire mediator.

The US, Egypt and Qatar have been trying for months to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, where the only truce lasted a week before ending on December 1.

Israel began its bombardment of the enclave after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people. Most of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced by the fighting and large areas have been destroyed.