Hamas negotiators are not in Doha but the Palestinian militant group’s office there has not been permanently closed, Qatar said, AFP reports.

“The leaders of Hamas that are within the negotiating team are now not in Doha,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said, adding: “The decision to… close down the office permanently, is a decision that you will hear about from us directly.”

“The mediation process right now… is suspended unless we take a decision to reverse that which is based on the positions of both sides,” Ansari said.

“The office of Hamas in Doha was created for the sake of the mediation process. Obviously, when there is no mediation process, the office itself doesn’t have any function,” he added, declining to confirm whether Qatar had asked Hamas officials to leave.