Qatar has sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he called for the expulsion of leaders of the Palestinian group “Hamas“, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
In a statement published in Aix, the Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned Netanyahu's “reckless statements“ that Qatar hosts a “Hamas“ office.
Earlier, Netanyahu said: “I say to Qatar and all countries that harbor terrorists: either you expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don't, we will“.
The Foreign Ministry in Doha defined the statement as a “blatant threat of future violations of state sovereignty“ and described it as a “shameful attempt“ to justify Israel's “cowardly attack“ on the Qatari capital on Tuesday.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in an interview with CNN that the Qataris were “rethinking everything“ regarding his country's participation in future ceasefire talks. He said Qatar was in very detailed talks with the United States on the issue, DPA also reported.
The Israeli army killed six people in surprise strikes in a residential area of Doha on Tuesday, angering Qatar and drawing rare criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Among the victims were the son of Khalil ah Haya, the most influential figure in the Islamist movement abroad, and his chief of staff. Ah Haya, who heads the Hamas delegation in the ceasefire talks, survived, the group said.
The attack drew international condemnation from Arab states, China and European leaders.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, has been acting as a mediator between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza conflict for nearly two years. Ceasefire talks have been stalled for months.