Fifty leaders from across the Arab and Islamic world gathered in Qatar’s capital for an emergency meeting in an “unprecedented show of unity” against Israel’s shock bombing of the Gulf state last week, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned further strikes may be on the horizon.
Israel bombed Doha on 9 September, targeting Hamas militant leaders who, according to Qatar, were in its capital to discuss Donald Trump’s latest ceasefire proposal for Gaza. The air raid, which was conducted without prior knowledge of either the US or Qatar, marked a significant escalation of Israeli military action in a region already shaken by conflict since the Hamas-led 7 October attacks that ignited the Gaza war.
Qatar, a key mediator and host of talks for Gaza, is also the home of Washington’s largest base in the Middle East.
The increasingly alarmed bloc of leaders convened in the Gulf state on Monday, including – unusually – Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Emirati president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, whose countries have in the past boycotted Qatar over diplomatic disputes.
The aim was to hammer out a joint plan of action, Qatari officials told The Independent, as Doha is seeking legal recourse and the suspension of Israel’s membership in the United Nations.
Qatar’s ruling emir opened the summit with a blistering condemnation of Israel, describing it as “cowardly and treacherous” and accusing it of caring little for the hostages in Gaza – instead working solely to “ensure Gaza is no longer liveable”.
“If Israel wishes to assassinate Hamas leaders, why then engage in negotiations?” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in an unusually fiery speech. “If they wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators?”
“There is no room to deal with such a party that is cowardly and treacherous,” he added. “Those who work consistently to assassinate the parties involved in these negotiations will certainly do everything to ensure the failure of these negotiations. When they claim that they seek the liberation of hostages, that is a mere lie.”
Later, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said: “It is time for the international community to stop applying double standards and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”
The Qatari premier had held a closed-door meeting and later dinner with President Trump, and vice-president JD Vance the week prior in Washington DC. The Independent understands that Qatar received assurances from the US that such an incident “will not happen again on Qatari soil”.
But Mr Netanyahu, seemingly unperturbed by the summit or these assurances, appeared to hint at further airstrikes.
In a joint press conference with US secretary of state Marco Rubio – who was visiting Jerusalem on Monday and is due to travel to Qatar on Tuesday – Mr Netanyahu appeared to double down on Israel’s actions.
There were no signs of US frustration or annoyance with Israel’s latest moves, although Mr Trump had made clear his displeasure with Israel’s unilateral strike on Hamas.
Asked about whether Israel would consider bombing Hamas operatives in other sovereign countries again, the prime minister said that Israel follows the principle “that terrorists should not have immunity, wherever they are”.
The raid, he added, carried “one central message: you can hide, you can run, but we will get you”.
He has previously warned Qatar and “all nations who harbour terrorists” that: “You either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.”
Qatar’s top diplomats told The Independent that the Gulf state, as a key mediator in the bloody conflict, had repeatedly been asked by both Israel and the US to host talks and negotiating teams from all sides including, of course, Hamas.
In Doha, officials said that Monday’s summit represented “an unprecedented show of unity from across the Arab and Muslim world – both in support of Qatar’s sovereignty and in opposition to Netanyahu’s reckless aggression”.
“More than 50 leaders from all over the world have swiftly gathered in Doha to issue this collective response. It shows the urgency of the problem at hand and sends a strong and clear warning to Netanyahu that leaders representing over a billion of the world’s population will not remain silent.”
Officials added that Qatar hopes attendees will coordinate their response to Mr Netanyahu’s actions, “including efforts to suspend Israel’s membership in the UN following its blatant violations of the charter”.
In Monday’s press conference, Mr Rubio called on Qatar to continue to play a constructive role in resolving the Gaza conflict, saying it could help achieve the goals of releasing all 48 hostages still held in Gaza, disarming Hamas, and building a better future for Palestinians in Gaza.
“And so we’re going to continue to encourage Qatar to play a constructive role in that regard,” he said.
Mr Trump has also indicated his displeasure at the attack, saying Israel should proceed with caution: “My message is that they have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States.”
