At UN, Qatar PM Condemns Israeli Strike in Doha as Attack on Peace Talks

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Thursday denounced an Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic compound in Doha, calling it a “criminal assault” and “clear violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.” Speaking before an emergency UN Security Council meeting, he warned the September 9 strike risked derailing fragile ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.

The attack hit a residential complex housing members of Hamas’s political bureau and their families. The Prime Minister said the Hamas delegation had been meeting to discuss the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal when the missiles struck at 15:45 local time, killing several people including a Qatari security officer. “This was no accident,” he told the Council. “This was a targeted effort to sabotage diplomacy, to perpetuate suffering, and to silence those seeking a way out of the bloodshed.”

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, delivering the Secretary-General’s remarks, described the strike as “an alarming escalation” and a direct violation of Qatar’s territorial integrity. “This potentially opens a new and perilous chapter in this devastating conflict,” she said.

Israel claimed responsibility, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it “a wholly independent Israeli operation” carried out in response to a Hamas-claimed attack in Jerusalem the day before. Hamas confirmed that the son of senior negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was among the dead, though top leadership reportedly survived.

The UK condemned the strike as a flagrant breach of Qatar’s sovereignty. Ambassador Barbara Woodward praised Doha’s mediation role while also urging Hamas to release hostages and criticizing Israel’s continuing offensive in Gaza. She reiterated Britain’s support for a two-state solution and pressed for more humanitarian aid.

The United States expressed concern and condolences but underscored its commitment to Israel’s security. Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea called Qatar “a sovereign nation bravely taking risks to broker peace” but urged members not to use the incident to question Israel’s intentions. She said President Donald Trump viewed the strike as “an opportunity for peace” and stressed Washington’s focus on securing a ceasefire and freeing hostages.

Sheikh Mohammed, however, insisted the strike revealed “the true intention of Israel’s extremist leadership.” Drawing comparisons to U.S.-Taliban talks once hosted in Doha, he argued that Israel was undermining the very possibility of negotiated peace. “The United States never once struck the Taliban negotiators in Doha,” he said. “Why is Israel trying to destroy the very possibility of a negotiated peace?”

Qatar, he noted, has helped secure the release of 148 hostages and open aid corridors into Gaza. “This attack is not only on Qatar—it is on every country striving for peace,” he said. “If the United Nations remains silent, it legitimizes the law of the jungle.”

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon countered that Qatar must expel Hamas or face consequences. “There will be no immunity for terrorists,” he said, likening the strike to the U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

Qatar has pledged to continue working with Egypt and the U.S. on mediation. “We call for peace, not war,” Sheikh Mohammed concluded. “But we will not condone attacks on our sovereignty. We reserve the right to respond within the framework of international law.”