Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Sept. 14 denounced Israel for “state terrorism” over its attack on Hamas leaders last week, ahead of a summit in Doha of foreign ministers from several Arab and Muslim countries.
The meeting will discuss a possible unified response to the Sept. 9 attack, which targeted the leadership of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
Qatar is a U.S. strategic partner and has tried to mediate a cease-fire in Gaza.
Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, said Qatar remained committed to working with the United States and Egypt to reach a cease-fire in Gaza, but he said Israel’s action on Sept. 9 was “an attack on the principle of mediation itself.”
The Israeli attack on Doha came as the Hamas leadership was reviewing the latest U.S. proposal to secure the release of hostages the group took on Oct. 7, 2023, and bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.
“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, [they] are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a Sept. 9 statement announcing the strike.
Shortly after the strike, Hamas issued a statement claiming that five of its members had been killed, as well as a member of the Qatari security service.
The Epoch Times cannot independently verify the casualties from the strike.
Qatar Calls Israel ‘Extremist’
“This attack can only be described as state terrorism, an approach pursued by the current extremist Israeli government, which flouts international law,” Al Thani said on Sept. 14.“The reckless and treacherous Israeli aggression was committed while the state of Qatar was hosting official and public negotiations, with the knowledge of the Israeli side itself, and with the aim of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. It is time for the international community to stop applying double standards and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also criticized the Israeli attack.
“Silence in the face of a crime ... paves the way for more crimes,” he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also attending the summit in Doha.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Israel over the weekend and spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rubio visited the Western Wall on Sept. 14 with Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led terrorists crossed the border into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others.
Israel says 48 hostages have yet to be released, but only 20 of those are still thought to be alive.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry states that 64,871 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, although it is not clear how many were combatants.
