Qatar PM accuses Israel of not caring about hostages

Israel’s leaders showed they “do not care” about the hostages held in the Gaza Strip after its attack this week on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar’s prime minister told the United Nations on Thursday, as global powers united to condemn the strike.

With Tuesday’s deadly attack on the US ally, Israel has “gone beyond any borders, any limitations,” Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

The strike killed at least six people as Hamas leaders gathered in Doha to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, risking upending negotiations that have been mediated by Qatar and Egypt and intensifying Israel’s growing global isolation.

“Extremists that rule Israel today do not care about the hostages - otherwise, how do we justify the timing of this attack?” Sheikh Mohammed said. Earlier, he told CNN that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was directly to blame for killing “any hope for those hostages.”

In response, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said that “history will not be kind to accomplices.”

“Either Qatar condemns Hamas, expels Hamas, and brings Hamas to justice. Or Israel will,” Danon said.

Before Sheikh Mohammed spoke before the 15-member council, every country — except for the US — laid the blame for the attack and larger regional conflicts on Israel and echoed doubts about the country’s seriousness in securing the return of its hostages.

“It is evident that Israel, the occupying power, is bent on doing everything to undermine and blow up every possibility of peace,” Pakistani Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said. “It also raises serious questions whether the return of hostages was indeed a priority.”

Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea said “it is inappropriate for any member to use this to question Israel’s commitment to bringing their hostages home.”

At the start of the session, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s political chief, said Israel’s attack “shocked the world” and “potentially opens a new and perilous chapter” in the war in Gaza.

“It was an alarming escalation, especially since it targeted individuals who were reportedly gathered to discuss the latest US proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza,” she said.

In addition to the UN visit, Qatar also said it was organizing an Arab-Islamic summit next week in Doha to discuss the attack.

The Security Council earlier issued a joint statement expressing “deep concern” without mentioning Israel by name and emphasizing “de-escalation.” Approved by the 15-member council, including the US, the statement also conveyed its solidarity with Qatar and the “vital role” it’s played in mediating peace efforts in recent years.

President Donald Trump has walked a delicate line between two major allies following the Israeli attack, saying the unilateral action “did not advance Israel or America’s goals.” He has said he’s “not thrilled about it” but also suggested that “this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace.”

Qatar has hosted Hamas’ political leadership for years in Doha, in part over a request by the US to encourage negotiations to end the war that started with Hamas’ attack on Israel nearly two years ago.

During the Security Council session, Shea repeated Trump’s sentiments and defended Israel’s decision to target Hamas leaders.

“Eliminating Hamas, which has profited off of the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal,” she said.

Hamas spokesperson Fawzy Barhoum said Israel’s attack constituted a “derailment of negotiations efforts” and showed that Netanyahu and his backers “refuse to reach a deal.”

Hamas says its senior leaders survived the Doha strike but that five lower-level members were killed. The group, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof that senior figures had survived.

Funerals for the five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer who were killed in the attack were held on Thursday. Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, attended the service.

Associated Press