Doha: Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Sunday voiced solidarity with Qatar and condemned Israel’s recent strike on Doha, warning that international silence has emboldened Israeli aggression.
Speaking at a preparatory meeting on the eve of an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic leaders in Doha, Aboul Gheit said the gathering itself was a message of support. “Qatar is not alone. The Arab and Islamic worlds stand beside it,” he said, adding that Israel’s actions were the outcome of “two years of international silence on the genocide in Gaza, which has emboldened the occupiers to act without consequence.”
Qatar convened the summit after Israel carried out an air strike on September 9 targeting the homes of Hamas officials in Doha. Six people were killed, though the intended targets, Hamas negotiators, were not present.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, accused Israel of “state terrorism” and double standards in international diplomacy. “The reckless and treacherous Israeli aggression was committed while the state of Qatar was hosting official and public negotiations, with the knowledge of the Israeli side itself, and with the aim of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.
Sheikh Mohammed urged the global community to “punish Israel for its crimes” and insisted that attempts to expel Palestinians from their land “will not work.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said Monday’s summit will consider a draft resolution on the Israeli strike.
In the run-up to the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held consultations with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan on regional stability and coordinated responses.
The summit is expected to draw several key leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.