Qatar has reportedly been pressuring Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to refrain from escalating security tensions with Israel in the Gaza Strip until after the FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted in the Gulf state until mid-December.
According to a KAN News report, Qatari envoy to Gaza Mohammad al-Emadi flew out to the strip at the beginning of the tournament to convey the message to the Palestinians.
The Qatari envoy is also attempting to communicate with the Islamic Jihad (PIJ), as per the report, to prevent an escalation with Israel that could distract from Qatar's soccer showpiece.
Will PIJ respond to killing of commander in Jenin?
The report comes amid concerns within Israel's defense establishment that PIJ may fire rockets at Israel in the coming days as a response to the Thursday killing of an Islamic Jihad commander in Jenin.
PIJ spokesman Tariq Ezz El-Din warned that “the massacre committed by Israel against our people and our resistance fighters in the Jenin camp at dawn today will not go unnoticed, and this criminal occupier will pay the price for his heinous crime.”
Qatar's influence on Palestinian officials
Doha had played a role in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel in the past and has considerable influence over decision-makers in the terror organization due to helping it pay its fuel bills and providing humanitarian aid.
Hamas itself also communicated to Islamic Jihad that, if it must respond to the Israeli operation in Jenin, it should do so from the West Bank rather than Gaza, KAN News previously reported.