Most senior Hamas officials, from the organization’s leader Ismail Haniyeh on down, left Qatar with the start of the 2022 World Cup and will return to Doha only at the end of the tournament – this is what Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip told news here. The headquarters of Hamas is located in Doha, the capital of Qatar, since the organization left Syria at the beginning of the civil war in the country.
First publication: The leadership of Hamas left Qatar at the beginning of the World Cup and will only return to it at the end, for fear of the activity of intelligence organizations in the country@eliorlevy#The evening news pic.twitter.com/Nusk5ZB6wV
— here news (@kann_news) December 13, 2022
According to the same sources, Hamas realized that during the month of the World Cup, Qatar opens its doors to all countries of the world, and this allows intelligence organizations to operate freely in the country. Therefore, a dramatic decision was made by Hamas to evacuate all of its senior officials from Qatar during the month in which the tournament is being played. Since then, they have been moving around the countries of the world, among others in Algeria and Turkey.
Haniyeh and other senior Hamas officials are expected to return only after Qatar closes its doors again and becomes a much safer place for them.