Qatar Embassy responds to Congressman Hoyer's 'threat' to 'reevaluate' US-Qatar relationship

In a Tuesday statement, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington said that it was "surprised" by Congressman Steny Hoyer's remarks regarding the Gaza hostage negotiations, and "his threat to 'reevaluate' the US relationship with Qatar."

"We share his frustration that Hamas and Israel have not reached an agreement on the release of the remaining hostages [...] But Qatar is only a mediator - we do not control Israel or Hamas," the statement read.

The statement reminded that the Qatari mediation role "exists only because we were asked by the United States in 2012 to play this role since, regrettably, Israel and Hamas refuse to speak to each other directly," affirming that recent progress has been slow.

"As always, we will confer closely with our colleagues in the United States, and others in the region, to agree on the best path forward," it stated.

"For now, Qatar is not giving up hope on the hostages," the statement concluded.

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— Qatar Embassy USA (@QatarEmbassyUSA) April 16, 2024