Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt issued a joint ultimatum to force Hamas into a ceasefire deal, report says

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing officials familiar with the negotiations, Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt compelled Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement it had initially rejected by threatening to deprive the organization of all political and diplomatic protection.

Based on information from these officials, this coordinated pressure campaign culminated in a warning from the three countries to Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya.

The warning conveyed that if Hamas rejected the US President’s peace plan, Qatar and Türkiye would no longer host its political leadership, and Egypt would end its support for the organization’s role in the post-war governance of Gaza.

Tom Barrack, a former US Ambassador to the UAE, also shared the WSJ report on his social media account, writing, “Thank you and congratulations, Türkiye.”

Hamas’s initial response was ‘no’

As reported by the WSJ, when Hamas leader al-Hayya first saw President Biden’s peace proposal, his response was “no.”

The proposal lacked concrete guarantees that Israel would end the war and demanded the disarmament of Hamas.

However, Hamas reversed its position two days later and accepted the offer.

The newspaper explained this shift with the statement: “The deal hadn’t changed; what changed was the pressure on Hamas.”

According to officials, Egypt and Qatar told al-Hayya that this was the last chance to end the war.

The mediators also noted that holding onto the hostages had become a “strategic liability,” providing Israel with the legitimacy to continue the war.

Ultimatum joined by Türkiye: The plan or isolation

The following day, with Türkiye joining the process, the mediators delivered an ultimatum to Hamas: “Either you approve the plan, or you lose all support.” This pressure led Hamas to agree to release all hostages at once and sign President Biden’s peace plan.

According to the report, President Biden’s contact with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan played a decisive role in advancing the process.

Erdoğan also chaired a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly with leaders of Muslim-majority countries to discuss solutions for Gaza.

Furthermore, President Erdoğan sent the head of the National Intelligence Organization, İbrahim Kalın, to the hostage exchange negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The report emphasized that these steps reinforced the perception that “the region was speaking with one voice in favor of the agreement.” According to the analysis, President Biden’s team worked for weeks to bring Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye onto a common platform.

Hamas: We trust Biden

In their final warning in Sharm el-Sheikh, the mediators gave Hamas five days, delivering the message: “Trust Biden’s plan or face an endless war.”

Before the deadline expired, Hamas officially announced its acceptance of the hostage exchange.

Khaled al-Qaddoumi, the Hamas representative in Tehran, explained to the WSJ the reasons for the organization’s approval of President Biden’s proposal.

Al-Qaddoumi stated that the plan guarantees Palestinians will not be forcibly removed from Gaza and paves the way for humanitarian aid and reconstruction.

The representative also expressed that Hamas now trusts President Biden to ensure Israel does not return to war.