Arab and Muslim leaders have called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday, following last week’s deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital.
The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel’s attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal.
A joint statement from the summit urged all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people, including reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it and initiating legal proceedings against it.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump insisted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not strike Qatar again. Trump said this to reporters in the Oval Office, after Netanyahu failed to rule out further strikes during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he did not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders “wherever they are”, as the heads of Arab and Islamic states held a summit to show support for Qatar after Israel’s attack on the Gulf state last week.
The September 9 strike targeting leaders of the Palestinian militant group in Doha marked a significant escalation of Israeli military action in a region shaken by conflict since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks that ignited the Gaza war.
While the assembled Arab and Muslim leaders were expressing solidarity with Qatar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Netanyahu and gave strong backing for Israel’s hardline stance, although Washington has expressed unease over the Qatar strike.
Speaking alongside Netanyahu in Israel, Rubio said the only way to end the war in Gaza would be for Hamas fighters to free all hostages and surrender. While the U.S. wants a diplomatic end to the war, “we have to be prepared for the possibility that’s not going to happen,” he said.
Washington has said it was not warned in advance before Israel attacked Qatar, which houses the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East. President Donald Trump said on Sunday Israel had to be “very, very careful”.
“They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States,” Trump said.
