At Arab-Islamic summit, Qatar’s Emir warns Greater Israel agenda threatens global peace

DOHA (WebNews) – Qatar on Monday hosted an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic leaders in Doha after Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders inside the Gulf state, an escalation that has drawn widespread regional and global condemnation.

The summit brought together key heads of state and government, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and representatives from across the Middle East and beyond.

Opening the meeting, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani welcomed the leaders to Doha but struck a forceful tone, warning that “the Greater Israel agenda is a severe threat to global peace, and lasting peace in the Middle East will remain impossible unless the Palestinian issue is resolved.” He said Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians, adding the assault had crossed all limits of crimes against humanity.

The emir said the Israeli strike on Doha was a grave act of aggression, one that violated Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He maintained that Israel was sabotaging negotiations by targeting Hamas leaders while they were studying a US-backed ceasefire proposal mediated by Qatar and Egypt. “If Israel wishes to assassinate the Hamas leaders, why then engage in negotiations? If you wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators?” he asked.

Israeli strike on Hamas members in Doha

The Israeli attack killed five Hamas members, though not its senior leadership, as well as a member of Qatar’s internal security forces. Sheikh Tamim said those who assassinate negotiators ensure the failure of talks, branding Israel’s actions as cowardly and treacherous. He insisted that Qatar had pursued sincere mediation efforts for peace in the region and would not abandon this role despite Israeli provocation.

A draft resolution prepared ahead of the summit warned that the Israeli strike and other hostile acts – including genocide, starvation, ethnic cleansing, and settlement expansion – threaten the fragile path towards coexistence. It added that such actions jeopardise existing normalisation agreements with Israel as well as future prospects.

US state secretary in Jerusalem

Speaking in Jerusalem alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders “wherever they are”. Rubio, who will travel to Doha following his Israel visit, called on Qatar to remain engaged in mediation to secure the release of 48 hostages still held in Gaza and to advance disarmament of Hamas.