The Gulf country has been working alongside the United States and Egypt for months on fruitless talks between the warring sides in Gaza and any disengagement from that process could further complicate efforts to reach a deal.
The Qatari ministry also said press reports on the future of the Hamas political office in Doha were inaccurate without specifying how. Reuters had on Friday quoted a US official saying Washington had asked Qatar to expel the group and that Doha had passed this message on to Hamas.
An official briefed on the matter also said on Saturday that Qatar had concluded that with its mediation efforts paused, Hamas' political office there "no longer serves its purpose."
But three Hamas officials speaking off the record said the group had not been informed by Qatar that its leaders were no longer welcome in the country.
Qatar has hosted Hamas political leaders since 2012 as part of a deal with the US, and the group's presence there has facilitated the progress of talks.
The war erupted when Hamas gunmen attacked Israeli communities on October 7 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing another 253 as hostages. Israel's military campaign has levelled much of Gaza and killed around 43,500 Palestinians.
"Qatar notified the parties 10 days ago during the last attempts to reach an agreement that it would stall its efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel if an agreement was not reached in the round," Qatar's foreign ministry said.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) @majedalansari : Qatar's efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel are currently stalled #MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/pvHFKuxqA2November 9, 2024
"Qatar will resume those efforts with its partners when the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war."
There was no official response from Hamas or Israel.
Qatar has hosted Hamas' political leaders since 2012 as part of an agreement with the US.
Khaled Meshaal is widely seen as Hamas' diplomatic face. (AP PHOTO)
The latest round of talks in mid-October failed to produce a deal, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal. Israel has previously rejected some proposals for longer truces. Disagreements have centred on the long-term future of Hamas and Israel's presence in Gaza.
It is unclear how many Hamas officials live in Doha, but they include several possible replacements for leader Yahya Sinwar, whom Israeli forces killed in Gaza last month.
They include Sinwar's deputy Khalil al-Hayya, who has led ceasefire negotiations for the group, and Khaled Meshaal, widely seen as Hamas' diplomatic face.
Meanwhile Israeli air strikes on Lebanon over the last day have killed at least 40 people including several children after heavy Israeli bombardment pounded the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut overnight.
At least seven people were killed in the coastal city of Tyre late on Friday, Lebanon's health ministry said.
The Israeli military has previously ordered swathes of the city to evacuate but there were no orders published by the Israeli military spokesperson on social media platform X before Friday's strikes.
The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the areas of Tyre. (AP PHOTO)
The ministry said two children were among the dead. Rescue operations were ongoing and other body parts retrieved in the aftermath of the attack would undergo DNA testing to identify them, the ministry added.
Strikes in nearby towns on Saturday killed 13 people, including seven medics from rescue groups affiliated to Hezbollah and its ally Amal, the health ministry said. At least 20 more people were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday across the eastern plains around the historic city of Baalbek, the health ministry said.
The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the areas of Tyre and Baalbek, including fighters, "operational apartments," and weapons stores.
The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,136 people and wounded 13,979 in Lebanon over the last year. The toll includes 619 women and 194 children.
