International Condemnation Follows Israeli Strike in qatar Targeting Hamas Leaders
Following an attack on Jerusalem and the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in Gaza, Israel conducted a strike in Doha, Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders. The attack has sparked international criticism and raised questions about the extent of prior warning given to Qatari officials.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, characterized the attack as a “100% betrayal,” stating that US officials only provided a warning ten minutes before the strike commenced. The Qatar Foreign Ministry previously dismissed claims of advance knowledge of the operation as “baseless,” noting a call from US officials coincided with the sound of explosions from the Israeli attack within doha.
Former US President Donald Trump, via his social media platform Truth Social, asserted his administration attempted to warn Qatar but that the notification came “sadly…too late to stop the attack.” He emphasized the decision to strike Hamas leaders in Qatar was solely that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating, “This is the decision of Prime Minister Netanyahu, not my decision.” Trump detailed dispatching a special messenger, Steve Witkoff, to deliver the warning, expressing regret over the attack’s location while reaffirming his view that “destroying Hamas, who has taken advantage of the suffering of Gazans, is a decent goal.” he claimed to have secured assurances from Qatari leadership that such an incident would not recur and announced his intention to expedite a defense cooperation agreement with Qatar through Foreign Affairs Minister Marco Rubio.
Germany also voiced strong disapproval. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz communicated to Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that the violation of Qatari sovereignty was “unacceptable.” He lauded Qatar’s mediation efforts in the Gaza conflict, aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and cautioned against the potential for wider regional conflict.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul released a statement emphasizing the attack’s threat to hostage release efforts and expressing concern for the safety of all hostages,including German citizens. Wadephul reiterated the call for Hamas to disarm and cease ”acts of terror against the state of Israel,” while acknowledging the attack stemmed from Hamas’s initial terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Germany, a staunch ally of Israel, has recently begun to publicly question Israel’s actions in Gaza, particularly concerning the escalating humanitarian crisis affecting civilians.