Senators call on Biden to increase pressure on Qatar in Hamas hostage talks

A pair of bipartisan senators are calling on President Biden to ramp up pressure on Qatar to push Hamas to release more than 100 hostages it kidnapped from Israel, a group that includes eight Americans. 

Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) sent a letter to the president on Thursday calling for Biden to make clear to Qatar that close U.S. relations are at risk if it does not do everything possible to secure the release of hostages. 

“Time is of the essence to free the hostages — and every diplomatic option must be on the table to secure their release,” the senators wrote.

“Given Qatar’s unique ability to influence Hamas, it is imperative that Doha understands our expectation that negotiations result in the release of all remaining hostages.”

Qatar has been a key go-between for Israel and the U.S. in discussions with Hamas, a designated terror group. Doha hosts the U.S. Central Command at a major air base in the country, while also allowing Hamas political leadership free reign in the country.

The senators raised alarm that Qatar is “not fully utilizing its leverage to seek further concessions from Hamas” on efforts to release an estimated 129 hostages still in captivity by the terror group in Gaza. 

Qatar had earlier succeeded in brokering a series of deals between Israel and Hamas that allowed the release of hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and a scale-up of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. 

The U.S. and Israel blame Hamas for violating the terms of the initial agreement and are engaging with Qatari officials to bring Hamas back to negotiations.

The senators say they want the president to “convey that Qatar’s inability to deliver on its commitments regarding the safe return of all remaining hostages will significantly impact bilateral relations.”

Ernst is in Republican leadership and both she and Rosen are members of both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Abraham Accords Caucus in Congress, which works toward further integrating Israel in the region and building on ties it earlier established with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.