Arab-Islamic summit: Qatar’s emir vows to ‘confront Israeli aggression’

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has warned against Israel’s expansionist vision of the Arab region as he lambasted the country for last week’s deadly bombing of Doha, calling the assault “blatant, treacherous, and cowardly”.

“My country’s capital was subjected to a treacherous attack targeting a residence housing the families of Hamas leaders and their negotiating delegation,” the Qatari emir said in his opening speech at the emergency summit of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“Our citizens were surprised, and the entire world was shocked by the aggression and cowardly terrorist act,” he said, referring to the global condemnation of the September 9 attack that killed six people.

“We are determined to do whatever is necessary to preserve our sovereignty and confront Israeli aggression.”

Doha, a close US ally that hosts the largest United States military base in the region, has dubbed the unprecedented attack “state terrorism”. The strike targeted Hamas leaders gathered to discuss a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal. The Palestinian group says its top leadership survived the assassination attempt.

Sheikh Tamim said Israel’s actions showed it had no genuine interest in peace, adding that Israel is attempting to “thwart the negotiations” aimed at ending Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 64,800 Palestinians.

“Anyone who persistently and systematically targets a negotiating party is working to thwart the negotiations,” he said.

Sheikh Tamim accused Israel of waging what he described as a war aimed at destroying Gaza, which has been under unrelenting Israeli bombardment for the past 23 months.
The Arab Peace Initiative
Qatar has been a key mediator in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas since Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in October 2023. Israeli actions in Gaza have been dubbed genocide by numerous rights organisations, including the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members, including Israel’s closest ally, the US, condemned the Israeli attack on Doha on Thursday.

Addressing the UNSC, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said that Doha would not tolerate further breaches of its security and sovereignty. “Israel is undermining the stability of the region impetuously,” he said.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to attack Hamas leaders again if Qatar does not expel the Palestinian leaders. During a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu on Monday repeated that Israel will hit Hamas “wherever they are”.

The threats come despite US President Donald Trump assuring Sheikh Tamim last week that “such a thing will not happen again on their soil”. The Trump administration has said that the attack on Doha did not “advance Israel’s or America’s goals”.

Rubio is set to travel to Qatar on Tuesday, a senior US State Department official says.