Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told CNN the region is consulting on a joint response to Israel’s attack on Doha, with an Arab-Islamic summit to be held in the Qatari capital on Sunday.
The region is currently discussing a response to Israel’s attack on Doha, with preparations underway for an Arab-Islamic summit in the country, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has revealed in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
“There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners in the region,” said Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister.
Sheikh Mohammed’s remarks came a day after Israel launched an attack on Qatar, targeting a residential building housing Hamas members.
The attack killed six people, including lower-ranked Hamas members, and 22-year-old Corporal Bader Al-Humaidi Al-Dosari, a member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya).
Sheikh Mohammed, during the interview, noted that Qatar will not ask its regional partners to respond in a particular way and that it will always resort to international law.
“We are hoping for something meaningful that deters Israel from continuing this bullying,” he said.
The Arab-Islamic summit is due to take place in Doha on Sunday to discuss the Israeli attack on the country, which shocked the world, especially the region.
The attack came despite Qatar’s crucial efforts in mediating the release of at least 140 Israeli captives from Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
Sheikh Mohammed told CNN that he was meeting the captives’ families on the morning of the attack, which he said undermined any hope for a deal. He added that Qatar is reassessing its mediation following the attack.
“I think that what Netanyahu has done [ on Tuesday] – he just killed any hope for those hostages,” the Qatari prime minister said.
The top Qatari official also described the attack as “state terror” and slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “barbaric action”.
At a press conference held hours after the attack, Sheikh Mohammed said the assault sent a message “that there is a rogue actor in this region”.
“Netanyahu himself has declared that he will reshape the Middle East. Is this message also implying that he will reshape the Gulf?” he asked during the press conference, which was held at the Diwan Annexe in Msheireb.
Reports stated that the U.S. had prior knowledge of the Israeli attack on Qatar, although President Donald Trump said he was “not thrilled” about the move.
Two sources told Axios on Thursday that Trump demanded that Netanyahu not attack Qatar again after he vowed to carry out a similar move if Hamas leaders stayed in the country.
“It’s unacceptable. I demand that you do not repeat it,” Trump told Netanyahu in a phone call, the sources told Axios.
Qatar established the Hamas office in 2012 at the request of the U.S. to maintain an open channel of communication, enabling mediation efforts throughout past Israeli aggressions in Gaza.
Israel has obstructed all efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip under its insistence on continuing the genocide and occupying the territory.
Mediation attempts have been stalled on numerous occasions due to escalatory measures carried out by Israel, including the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last year.
Qatar’s efforts, along with the U.S. and Egypt, resulted in a ceasefire deal in January, which Israel broke on March 18.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 64,656 people, mainly women and children, in the Gaza Strip, with thousands still trapped under the rubble. The actual figure is believed to be much higher, with thousands still trapped under the rubble.
