Mediator in chief How role of Qatar is central to the Gaza ceasefire holding

As the world waits to see if the Gaza ceasefire holds, the role of Qatar, one of the four guarantors of the agreement, is central. Probably more than any other country, the wealthy Gulf state holds influence over what Hamas may choose to do in future.

- Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

This stems from its complicated twin status as an Israeli-endorsed mediator and a unilateral conduit for aid and cash to Hamas in Gaza. For more than a decade Qatar has also hosted the political leadership of Hamas in Doha.

By signing the New York declaration on 29 July with other Arab states, Qatar for the first time agreed to the principle of Hamas ending its rule in Gaza and handing over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority (PA) "in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state".

It also "condemned the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians" on 7 October, in a big step that brought Qatar's position closer to those of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

But it is not just in its formal statements that Qatar has started to demand more of Hamas. Editorial management changes were introduced at Al Jazeera, the Qatari-owned media empire that became "the voice of the resistance" throughout the Middle East. Al Jazeera's portrayal of Hamas had become more nuanced. In private discussions, too, Qatar's leaders applied new levels of pressure on Hamas's political leadership.

The Gulf state's negotiators became unequivocal in their view that the remaining hostages in Gaza would be handed over, and that Donald Trump would ensure the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, did not resume the war. It was that undertaking - given personally by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and the US special envoy Steve Witkoff - that unlocked the talks with Hamas mediated by Qatar in Egypt last week.