Antony Blinken rejects report he postponed Qatar's October 7 hostage mediation
Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has denied reports that he instructed Qatar to delay hostage mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas. The controversy stems from a Haaretz report alleging that the US requested a pause in negotiations shortly after October 7.
Why it matters
This highlights the intense diplomatic scrutiny and conflicting narratives surrounding the management of the Israel-Hamas conflict and hostage negotiations.
Former secretary of state Antony Blinken outright denied on Wednesday that he told Qatar to wait to broker a deal between Hamas and Israel, as was attributed to him in a Tuesday Haaretz article."For the record, this is false. Complete fiction," he wrote in a post on X/Twitter with a screenshot of his quote. For the record, this is false. Complete fiction. https://t.co/dnQSLClKGt— Antony Blinken (@ABlinken) September 9, 2026Haaretz reported on Tuesday that UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel days before the October 7 massacre. Since then, Netanyahu has denied the report and has threatened to sue the left-leaning Israeli daily.
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