Qatar has not asked the Hamas leadership residing in its capital, Doha, to leave the country as a pressure tactic to force it to accept the three-phased hostage deal on the table, an official from that country told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

The official rejected media reports stating that there has been no request from Qatar “for Hamas to leave.” The National reported that in such a scenario, Hamas could relocate to Iraq, a step that would strengthen its ties to Iran. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had met and spoken with representatives of both the Iraqi and Iranian governments.