Qatar’s prime minister said on Tuesday that his country would continue its role as a mediator despite the Israeli airstrikes that targeted Hamas officials in Doha, though he noted that the attack had killed the chance for the latest efforts to lead to a ceasefire.
“Qatar has spared no efforts and will do everything it can to stop this war in Gaza, but for current talks, I do not think there’s something valid right now after what we saw from today’s attack,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said at a press conference.
Al-Thani said that Israel had sabotaged the chances for peace, as Hamas says the officials who were targeted were gathered to discuss a US ceasefire proposal. The Qatari leader also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he engaged in “state terrorism.”
“Does the world need a clearer message than this about who is closing the door to peace? Does the international community need further proof of who the bully in this region is?” he said.
Al-Thani said that Qatar has a “right to respond” to the attack and called on regional countries to join. “Today, we have reached a turning point for there to be a response from the entire region against such barbaric conduct,” he said.
President Trump is claiming that the strike was Netanyahu’s decision and not his, although some media reports said the US gave Israel the “green light” for the attack and that Trump “blessed” the strikes.
“This morning, the Trump Administration was notified by the United States Military that Israel was attacking Hamas which, very unfortunately, was located in a section of Doha, the Capital of Qatar. This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said that bombing Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals” but added that “eliminating Hamas” was a “worthy goal.” At this point, it appears that the Israeli strikes failed their stated purpose as Hamas says its senior political leaders were not killed. Hamas has said a total of six people were killed, including the son of a senior official, four office staff, and a Qatari security officer.
Trump said that US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff informed Qatar of the attack but that it was “too late to stop the attack.” Al-Thani said that the US had notified Qatar about the Israeli strikes 10 minutes after they started.
