An Israeli attack in Qatar’s capital, Doha, targeting Hamas officials has drawn swift condemnation from across the region and beyond with the UN chief calling it a “flagrant violation” of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli military carried out the attack in Doha on Tuesday against Hamas leaders. It was the first such attack by Israel on Qatar, which has been a key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and hosts the region’s largest United States military base, Al Udeid Air Base.
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The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “in the strongest terms the cowardly Israeli attack”.
Here are reactions from regional and international leaders:
UN secretary-general
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the air raids a “flagrant violation” of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.
He added that all parties to the Gaza war must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire rather than destroying the prospects of one.
Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saudi Arabia “condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar”, adding that it affirms “its full solidarity”.
It warned of the “grave consequences resulting from the Israeli occupation’s persistence in its criminal transgressions and its blatant violation of the principles of international law and all international norms”.
Turkiye
Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s attack on Qatar, saying it shows Israel is not interested in an agreement to end the war on Gaza.
“The targeting of the Hamas negotiating delegation while ceasefire talks continue shows that Israel does not aim to reach peace, but rather continue the war,” the ministry said in a statement.
“This situation is clear proof that Israel has adopted its expansionist politics in the region and terrorism as a state policy.”
The United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates also voiced support for Doha, condemning the “treacherous Israeli attack”.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, said: “The security of the Arab Gulf states is indivisible, and we stand heart and soul with the sisterly State of Qatar, condemning the treacherous Israeli attack that targeted it, and affirming our full solidarity with it in confronting this aggression.”
Kuwait
Kuwait issued a statement through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemning what it described as “the brutal aggression against the State of Qatar by the unjust Israeli forces”.
Jordan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the Israeli bombing as a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter and called it a blatant attack on the sovereignty and security of Qatar.
Ministry spokesman Fuad Majali said the Israeli attack constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of an Arab state and is a dangerous and unacceptable provocative escalation that pushes the region towards further violence and conflict and threatens regional and international security and stability.
Iran
Iran described the attack as a “gross violation”, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the “extremely dangerous and criminal action is a gross violation of all international rules and regulations, a violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Iraq
Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also criticised the attack, calling it a “cowardly act” and expressing “full support” for Qatar to confront any aggression.
Palestinian response
Hussein al-Sheikh, vice president of the State of Palestine and vice chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Oraganization, said: “We strongly condemn the heinous Israeli attack targeting the sisterly State of Qatar.”
The director general of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, said: “The ‘Israeli’ occupation committed a cowardly assassination crime in the heart of the Qatari capital, Doha, the mediating state in negotiations between the Palestinian resistance and the occupation.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad armed group described the attack as a “blatant criminal act”.
Yemen’s Houthi group
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, said Arab and Muslim countries must “pay attention” to Israel’s plans before it’s too late.
“We warn against a formula for the violations of all countries in the region,” al-Mashat said. “What happened in Doha will happen again and more in the rest of the countries if we do not all unite in confronting the Zionist threat.”
Maldives
The Maldives also described the attack as “cowardly and a serious violation of international law”.
“The Maldives stands in solidarity with the State of Qatar and calls on the international community to take urgent and unified action to hold Israel accountable for its numerous and continued violations of international norms and principles,” President Mohamed Muizzu posted on X.
United Kingdom
Downing Street said it was monitoring reports of the attack, warning against “a further escalation in violence” in the Middle East.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters denied the UK had any prior knowledge of the attack, saying it was “an Israeli-led operation” and “an entirely independent operation”.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X that the attack against Qatar is “unacceptable, whatever the reason may be”.
He added: “I express my solidarity with Qatar and its emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani. War must under no circumstances spread in the region.”
Pakistan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the shelling in Doha “unlawful and heinous”, describing it as a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He said Pakistan “stands firmly with Qatar, as well as with the Palestinian people, against Israeli aggression”.
Hamas in Tehran
Hamas’ representative in Tehran, Khaled al-Qaddoumi, said the assassination attempt on the group’s leaders during a meeting in Doha had failed.
He said Israel acted “with direct support from the United States” and accused Washington of paving the way for the attack under the guise of ceasefire talks.
Lebanon
The Lebanese government denounced “in the strongest terms” what it called a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.
It urged the international community to act against repeated Israeli aggression that “threaten security and stability in the entire region”.
Morocco
The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the kingdom “strongly condemns the blatant Israeli aggression” and denounces the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.
It expressed solidarity with Doha in the face of what it described as a dangerous escalation.
Syria
Damascus condemned the attacks in Doha as “a blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of the State of Qatar”.
Syria said the attack was a “dangerous escalation that undermines security and stability in the region”.
Sudan
Khartoum’s foreign ministry called the bombing “a clear violation of international laws and norms.” It voiced “full solidarity” with Qatar and urged the international community to take measures to halt such “brutal attacks”.
Egypt
Cairo condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation” of international law, saying it undermined mediation efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt said it viewed the attack as “a dangerous precedent and an escalation” against Qatar.
Gulf Cooperation Council
GCC Secretary-General Jassim al-Budaiwi called the attack a “despicable and cowardly operation” and vowed solidarity with Qatar.
He said the aggression violated “all international laws and treaties” and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable.
Algeria
Algeria denounced the “brutal Israeli aggression” in Doha and voiced “full and absolute solidarity” with Qatar.
It said the attack on the Hamas negotiating team proved Israel “is not inclined toward peace” and warned the region was being dragged into “an endless cycle of insecurity”.
Oman
Muscat’s foreign ministry condemned what it called the “brutal attack launched by Israel”. It expressed solidarity with Qatar and described the bombing as a breach of international law.
Source: Aljazeera
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