According to CNN, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has demanded that Qatar apply pressure on Hamas, warning them that unless a deal is reached to release Israeli hostages, the leaders of Hamas would face expulsion from Doha.
The channel's sources revealed that this pressure on Hamas coincided with stalled negotiations and preceded Hamas's return to the negotiating table with new demands discussed in Qatar earlier this week.
Blinken conveyed this message during a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Washington on March 5.
Sources indicated that "al-Thani understood the message and accepted it without objection."
