Qatar shocked many political circles on Sept. 12 when it asked several Muslim Brotherhood leaders to leave Doha in an effort to meet conditions for restoring ties with its Gulf neighbors.

On Sept. 14, leaks emerged that Qatar might also apply the decision to leaders of Hamas — who have been residing in Doha since leaving Syria in mid-2012 — in response to international pressure.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas leader and former Palestinian minister of Awqaf, who has been alternately residing in Beirut and Doha, denied that Doha has asked Hamas to leave its territory. He said, “The leaks [are] a desperate attempt to destabilize the ties between both sides, which are at their best.”

Ahmed Yousef, a former political adviser to former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, told Al-Monitor, “Hamas did not receive any request to reduce its presence in Doha, and has not been under any pressure in this regard, particularly since Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal has had close ties and mutual understanding and respect with the ruling family in Qatar for more than 20 years. Hamas and Qatar have strong political relations and understandings on the policies toward the successive developments in the region. Qatar sought to promote its role in the region when it hosted Hamas. Its decision to dismiss the Brotherhood leaders does not apply to the Hamas leaders.”