Reputational risk no longer worth it for Qatar

Qatar had taken a lot of heat for its association with Hamas but stuck it out in the hope it could help broker a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Doha was regularly the venue for talks and Qatar’s leaders invested considerable time trying to bring Israel and Hamas to an agreement.

Although some accused Qatar of harbouring terrorists, it suited the US, and Israel, to have the Hamas political leadership in a friendly country.

There was some success – a seven-day truce in November 2023 which saw the release of more than 100 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

But further ceasefire attempts have repeatedly failed, Hamas’s leadership has been steadily killed off one by one, and so the reputational cost of hosting the group was deemed no longer worth it.

Hamas was only in Qatar with the approval of the United States, and it’s now been asked to leave at the request of Washington. It is a significant shift in policy from the Gulf state.

But Qatari officials have also lost patience, pointedly blaming both sides for the failure to reach a deal.

In a message also aimed at Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, a diplomatic source briefed on the matter told Sky News both Israel and Hamas “refused to participate in the negotiations except on their conditions, without showing willingness to engage constructively”.

Hamas will likely relocate to Turkey (where they already have a presence) or Iran, although there have been reports officials were recently in Algeria and Mauritania.

It will be seen as a huge blow to the hostage families in Israel, signifying that the sides have given up hope of securing a deal.

That isn’t necessarily the case – the eviction of Hamas from their cosy homes in Doha is partly a final attempt to pressure them into an agreement, but even if they do leave, Egypt could continue to play a mediating role.

That said, Hamas’s leadership in Gaza is in some disarray, the Biden administration is weak and in its final days, and the geo-politics of negotiating a deal if the group moves to Tehran will be incredibly complex.

At least 24 people have been killed and more than 50 injured in a bomb blast at a train station in Pakistan.

The bomb exploded in the southwestern city of Quetta when nearly 100 passengers were waiting for a train to travel to Rawalpindi.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that a suicide bomber targeted troops at the railway station.

Government spokesman Shahid Rind said the bombing seemed to have been a suicide attack but an investigation was still ongoing to confirm the BLA’s claim.

TV footage showed the steel structure of a platform’s roof blown apart and a tea stall destroyed, with luggage littering the scene.

Police said about a dozen security forces are among the dead.

Mouzzam Jah Ansari, inspector general of police for Balochistan, said many of the injured people are in a critical condition.

“The target was army personnel from the Infantry School,” he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said those who orchestrated the attack “will pay a very heavy price for it,” adding that security forces were determined to eliminate “the menace of terrorism”.

The outlawed BLA has long waged an insurgency, seeking independence from Islamabad, often targeting security forces and foreigners.

Last month, the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside Karachi airport, killing two people.

In August, at least 73 people were killed in Balochistan province after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.

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Balochistan, which is oil and mineral-rich, is Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, where separatist and Islamic militants operate.

It is also a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.

Dutch police have arrested 57 people in Amsterdam, and others have been left injured, after disorder surrounding a football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The two sides faced each other at the Johan Cruyff Arena, with Ajax winning 5-0. The first arrests took place hours before the game, as Israeli supporters gathered in the city centre.

There were then further arrests at a planned demonstration against the arrival of the Tel Aviv side’s players, and after the match, hooligans targeted Israeli supporters.

Footage shared on social media shows Israeli supporters pulling down a Palestinian flag in central Amsterdam. Anti-Arab chants can also be heard.

Other video footage shows crowds running through the streets and a man being beaten.

The Israeli military said it has sent two planes to Amsterdam on a rescue mission to help its citizens who were targeted.

“The mission will be deployed using cargo aircraft and include medical and rescue teams,” the Israeli Defence Forces said.

Maccabi supporters had gathered in the Dam Square in the afternoon before the match, and around 10 people there were arrested for criminal offences including disrupting public disorder, police said.

Meanwhile, a planned pro-Palestinian demonstration took place at the Anton de Komplein square, around a 15-minute walk from the Johan Cruyff Arena. Local authorities had barred organisers from holding the demonstration at the ground.

Part of this group tried to get to the ground but were stopped by riot police, who were pelted with fireworks, the force said.

Around 30 people were arrested at and near the arena, most of them for disrupting public order and carrying or lighting fireworks, the statement continued.

Police said fans left the arena without incident after the match, but clashes were reported in the city centre during the night.

Videos posted on social media showed crowds running through the streets and a man being beaten.

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Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday morning that the Israeli prime minister had been informed of the details of “a very violent incident” in Amsterdam.

Israel‘s national security ministry urged its citizens in the Dutch city to stay in their hotels, the prime minister’s office added.

Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a post on X: “Fans who went to see a football game, encountered anti-Semitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a post on X that he had “followed the news from Amsterdam with disgust.”

He added that he was in touch with Mr Netanyahu about the incident and said the city was now “calm”.