Doha, Qatar: An emergency summit of Arab and Islamic states has taken place in Qatar following last week’s Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha.
A draft resolution condemns Israel for what it calls ‘hostile acts including genocide, ethnic cleansing, [and] starvation,’ warning that such actions threaten ‘prospects of peace and coexistence.’ Israel has strongly denied these allegations. Analysts note that practical outcomes remain uncertain, as any military response is considered out of the question.
Earlier, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani urged the international community to stop applying ‘double standards’ and to hold Israel accountable.
US President Donald Trump said that, “Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everybody else, we have to be careful. When we attack people, we have to be careful.”
Departing for Israel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Trump “didn’t like the way [the Qatar attack] went down.” During his visit, Rubio will meet with Israeli leaders to discuss the war in the Gaza Strip and other key Middle East issues.
The Israeli strike on Qatar’s capital last week was condemned by the UN Security Council, with council members emphasizing the importance of de-escalation and expressing solidarity with Qatar.
Israel defended the operation, with President Isaac Herzog asserting that the strike was necessary to “remove some of the people if they are not willing to get a deal” to end the conflict.
Hamas reported that its negotiating team survived the strike on 9 September, but five members were killed, including the son of chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. A Qatari security officer was also killed in the strike.
Qatar has played a crucial role in diplomatic efforts to end the war, serving as a mediator in indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. It has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and remains a close US ally, hosting a large American airbase in the desert near Doha.
The emergency summit in Doha highlights the growing unity among Arab and Islamic nations in confronting the escalating crisis.
RELATED POST | Israel launches airstrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar
