As the world rallied around Qatar after Israel’s targeting of Hamas leaders on its soil, its leader declared that Benjamin Netanyahu had been wasting their time with the mediation process.
Doha and Egypt have been instrumental in U.S.-backed attempts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. Despite their best efforts and great flexibility from Hamas, Israel has repeatedly moved the goalpost and “ghosted” negotiators after the Palestinian group agreed to the latest draft, which had already been vetted by the U.S.
Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Qatari PM Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the Israeli PM was leading the Middle East toward chaos and that the entire Gulf region was at risk. He also revealed that Qatar was reassessing its mediating role in the Gaza conflict, as well as Hamas’ future on its territory, in the wake of the Israeli aggression.
The Qatari PM’s remarks came as the world bristled over Israel’s unprovoked attack, which claimed the lives of at least five members of Hamas’ negotiating team. Even its most staunch ally, the United States, seemed to waver. President Donald Trump gave Netanyahu a rare rebuke while denying any role in the attack. Trump said he was not notified in advance of the Israeli attack and was “not thrilled about the whole situation.” He also focused on the potential damage to his efforts to end the war in Gaza, saying that unilaterally bombing Qatar does not advance Israel or America’s goals. The U.S. president added that he had assured Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in a phone call that “such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”
However, Israel doubled down, with Defence Minister Israel Katz writing on X, “There is no place where they can hide.” The Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, told Fox News that even if they failed to kill Hamas leaders in the Tuesday airstrike, they would “succeed next time.”
World Rallies Around Doha
Pakistan on Wednesday joined Algeria and Somalia in convening an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council and backed calls for a summit of Muslim countries after Israel’s airstrikes in Doha. The UNSC session was postponed to Thursday at Qatar’s request.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan had formally requested the urgent session to take up Israel’s “aggression against Qatar as a grave threat to international peace and security.” He also called on the UN Human Rights Council to hold a debate on the strikes on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman also came out in support of Doha, saying that Riyadh rejected and condemned Israel’s “assaults” in the region. He stated that the “brutal aggression against the sisterly state of Qatar requires Arab, Islamic and international action,” and called on the international community to confront Israeli aggression.
Meanwhile, the attack generated a flurry of diplomacy between Arab states. United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan led a delegation of ministers to Qatar, where he met with the Qatari emir. Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein is also expected to visit, while the Saudi crown prince is expected to arrive today, Thursday, in a show of regional solidarity.
Canada also said it was evaluating its relationship with Israel after the attack, calling the action unacceptable, especially given Qatar’s attempts to facilitate peace in the Middle East.
