Qatar Accuses Israel of Shattering Any Hope for Hostage Release After Doha Airstrike

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, condemned Israel’s recent airstrike in Doha, asserting that it “killed any hope” for the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.

The strike targeted a building where Hamas officials were gathered for talks on a US-facilitated ceasefire agreement. Six people, including five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, were killed in the attack. Sheikh Mohammed called the incident an act of “state terror,” adding that it severely damaged Qatar’s role as a mediator.

He said he was meeting with relatives of one of the hostages the very morning of the attack, and that they “had no other hope” beyond Qatar’s mediation efforts. The bombardment, he stated, has thrown the already fragile ceasefire negotiations into disarray and cast serious doubt on any possibility of future prisoner or hostage exchanges.

In response to mounting international criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strike, accusing Qatar of providing a haven to terrorists and warning that nations doing so must “expel them or bring them to justice.”

The attack drew swift rebuke from several global actors, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia. UN Secretary-General António Guterres denounced it as a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and emphasized the urgent need to resume ceasefire and mediation efforts.

As the fallout intensifies, Qatar appears to be weighing adjustments to its diplomatic role in the conflict, while the fate of the hostages remains grim amid escalating tensions.

Sources: The Guardian, Associated Press, Reuters