Israel’s attack on Qatar’s capital, targeting negotiators engaged in ongoing ceasefire talks over Gaza, has been denounced as a flagrant violation of international law.
While Israel tried to justify the strikes by claiming they were aimed at senior Hamas leaders, the assault prompted swift condemnation from governments and international bodies for breaching Qatari sovereignty.
The targets were gathering to consider the latest US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, which had been put to Hamas in recent days.
Multiple explosions were reported across Doha, with plumes of black smoke rising above the skyline.
Hamas said six people were killed in the strikes but that its senior leadership had survived.
Qatar, which has served as one of the main mediators between Israel and Hamas in ceasefire negotiations, condemned the attack as a “criminal” violation of its sovereignty.
“This criminal attack constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents of Qatar,” Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Minister, said in a statement.
By targeting Qatar, a key interlocutor between Hamas and Israel, critics say Israel has not only violated international law but is also deliberately jeopardising the few remaining channels for negotiations to end the war in Gaza and get the hostages released.
Since October 2023, when Israel launched its war on Gaza, more than 64,600 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave.
Global condemnation
The strike sparked outrage across the Middle East and beyond.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry condemned what it called “the brutal Israeli aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar.”
Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The targeting of the Hamas negotiating delegation while ceasefire talks continue shows that Israel does not aim to reach peace, but rather continue the war.”
Iran also denounced the strike, calling it a “violation of international law.”
The White House said it had been warned before the attacks, but also criticised Israel’s actions.
Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the US president, said:“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
“However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal. The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that Israel had carried out the strike independently: “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron described the bombing as “unacceptable, whatever the reason may be,” and warned against the war spreading further into the region.
The European Union echoed this position, saying the attack on Doha “breaches international law and Qatar’s territorial integrity.”
In the UK, Labour leader Keir Starmer also condemned the attack, saying it “violated Qatar’s sovereignty and risked further escalation across the region.”
Meanwhile, the Green Party urged the UK government to “unequivocally condemn these strikes and urgently suspend all military cooperation with, and arms sales to, Israel.”
