Qatar’s prime minister said that an Israeli strike in Doha on Hamas killed hope for hostages in Gaza as he called for his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to be “brought to justice.”
“I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told CNN.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to try to kill Hamas leaders in Qatar again if Doha does not expel the group’s officials, drawing a sharp response from Doha.
He said that countries should “applaud” Israel for its bombing and killing spree across the Middle East.
“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice — because if you don’t, we will,” he said.
The comments came a day after Israel carried out an unprecedented attack in Qatar, targeting senior Hamas leadership in Doha as discussions on a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza were under way.
In response, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a condemnation of the Israeli prime minister’s comments, calling them a “shameful attempt … to justify the cowardly attack that targeted Qatari territory, as well as the explicit threats of future violations of state sovereignty”.
“Netanyahu is fully aware that the hosting of the Hamas office took place within the framework of Qatar’s mediation efforts requested by the United States and Israel,” it said.
“Such statements are hardly surprising coming from an individual who relies on extremist rhetoric to win elections and is wanted for international justice, facing mounting sanctions on a daily basis – factors that only deepen his isolation on the global stage.”
In just three days, Israel has launched attacks in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia and Qatar, while continuing daily raids in the occupied West Bank. On Wednesday, it killed 35 people in an attack in Yemen.
