Sheikh Mohammed al Abdulrahman al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, was getting ready for action just days after Hamas’ devastating sun assault on southern Israel. His state was one of the few with strong ties to the US, Israel, Hamas, and Iran, the Islamist team’s supporters, so he established a workforce and working party to coordinate with Washington. Sheikh Mohammed, a foreign minister, spoke with Ismail Haniyeh, the Egyptian equivalent of Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Mossad captain David Barnea in less than 48 hours.
The original plan was to gauge the severity of an impending crisis. Israel was not in the mood for agreements after the deadliest assault on its soil since the government’s establishment in 1948. According to an official told on the negotiations, it demanded that Hamas release the hostages that its militants had taken during their terrible attack on October 7.
The political leaders of Hamas insisted that the insurgents did not intend to take so many victims, including civilians when Sheikh Mohammed spoke to them while they were in banishment in Doha and far from the team’s defense aircraft in Gaza. Qatari officials retorted, “OK, present us by releasing all the citizens now. It’s more difficult,” was the reply.
Since then, Sheikh Mohammed has found it to be challenging. The 43-year-old has coordinated diplomatic efforts to secure the captives’ launch in close collaboration with Barnea and CIA main Bill Burns. Israel and Hamas suddenly reached an agreement on Wednesday after days of arduous negotiations in which the violent organization may free 50 women and children from about 240 hostages. In exchange, Israel stopped attacking Gaza, which was under Hamas’ control, four days ago, allowing more supplies and fuel to enter the besieged area and releasing 150 Arab women and children from Israeli prison.
Qatar’s function has been crucial as one of the key mediators between Israel and Hamas for the past ten years. In the past, it coordinated with Israel and the UN to send millions of dollars worth of aid to Gaza each month. Sheikh Mohammed hosted Barnea in Doha just two weeks prior to Hamas’ harm to talk about enhancing Gaza’s financial situation. Like people, Qatar was taken aback by the attack.
Sheikh Mohammed, a low-profile member of the ruling household, is not immune to problems, though. The economics student was named foreign secretary in 2016, only 18 months before his small, import-dependent Gulf state severed political, business, and go ties with four Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The trio appeared to have US President Donald Trump’s support at the time, as Qatar was alleged to be too friendly with Iran and to support Islamist actions.
According to Tarik Yousef, chairman of the Doha-based Middle East Council on Global Affairs, “many naysayers” questioned the young official’s abilities as rattled Qataris feared for the future of their country. Sheikh Hamad al Jassim al-Thani, a colorful number known as HBJ, who served as prime minister and for more than ten years as foreign secretary, was the subject of ugly comparisons. Yousef claims that as the problems developed, there were calls for HBJ, an established, larger-than-life figure that stands in stark contrast to Sheikh Mohammed’s understated manner. But after a few months, he started to gain the respect of the people, who saw stable leadership but lacked the flair. And that’s precisely what Qatar required.
Sheikh Hamad had been in charge of guiding Qatar’s transformation from a desolate town to an enormously powerful gas powerhouse. However, he also pursued a resolute international policy that infuriated Doha’s neighbors and gave the Gulf state the status of an intrusive outlaw.
When Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani took the throne in 2013 following his father’s unexpected abdication, he was succeeded.
Sheikh Mohammed joined the foreign government as an associate minister in that same year, and as he advanced through the ranks, Queen Tamim worked to rebalance Qatar’s foreign policy and establish a relationship with Washington. The state constantly portrays itself as an “international problem solver,” in part because it thinks that Doha will stay relevant by filling in a gap for mediators.
Sheikh Mohammed has played a key role in the change, leading the $450 billion sovereign wealth fund known as the Qatar Investment Authority and combining politics. “He is the troublemaker.” The kind of person who recognizes opportunities and risks, according to a minister from the West. He has been around long enough to comprehend the risks associated with Qatar’s overreach, patching up the pieces, and dealing with the backlash that hasn’t materialized yet.
Sheikh Mohammed has defended his country from accusations since the local embargo was lifted in 2021, controlled covert negotiations between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Washington, spoke with the Taliban and the north after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, and assisted in the exchange of prisoners. He and his team agreed to bring four Polish children back to their families after they were split up during Russia’s war even as the Gaza turmoil was raging.
Some people questioned how far Sheikh Mohammed would be able to concentrate on his domestic responsibilities, mainly Doha’s economic plans, after he was elected prime minister in March, according to analysts. And the following political test is never far off. Qatar has received praise for its role as a mediator thus far, but when the matter is resolved, Doha’s relations with Hamas, including hosting their political office, could be called into question.
While serving as a negotiator solidifies Qatar’s status as an important person, it also attracts more attention and exposes the country to political pressure, according to Yousef. It is a crucial instant, and the dangers are too great to overstate.