Qatar Says Israel Must Be Punished for Doha Strike but Will Continue as Hostage Mediator
Qatar’s Prime Minister accused Israel of “state terrorism” for last week’s airstrike in Doha targeting Hamas officials, calling it “an attack on the principle of mediation itself,” while pledging to continue ceasefire efforts. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who doubles as Qatar’s foreign minister, made the remarks on Sunday during a preparatory session for an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha scheduled for Monday.
The strike, which Israel carried out on September 9, reportedly killed five Hamas members but missed key leadership figures. Al-Thani emphasized that the attack occurred while Qatar was hosting official negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza and called on the international community to “stop applying double standards and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
Foreign ministers drafting a resolution for the summit warned that Israel’s actions, including “genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, siege and colonizing activities and expansion policies,” threaten peace and the normalization of ties in the region. The resolution, which may be revised before leaders meet, did not propose direct sanctions.
President Isaac Herzog urged Israel to safeguard its regional alliances, stressing the need for proactive diplomacy and cautioning against isolation. He acknowledged unprecedented hostility toward Israel in strategic arenas, implicitly referencing the UAE.
The emergency summit brings together Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation members to express solidarity with Qatar. Attendees are expected to include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Qatar has long served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, hosting Hamas political leaders at the request of the US.
