Ally UAE stressed that aggression against Qatar constituted “an attack on the collective Gulf security framework” and warned that Israel’s provocative actions risked dragging the region into “extremely dangerous trajectories.”
Qatar has called for a “collective response” after an unprecedented Israeli strike on its capital, Doha, that killed a Qatari security officer and five Hamas officials, escalating tensions across the Gulf and beyond.
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani branded the assault “state terror” and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of destroying any lingering prospects for a ceasefire deal. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Sheikh Mohammed said Israel’s actions amounted to betrayal, particularly towards the families of hostages in Gaza who had pinned their hopes on Qatar’s mediation.
“I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages. They are counting on this mediation—they have no other hope,” he said. “I have no words to express how enraged we are… this is state terror. We are betrayed.”
The Israeli strike, which took place just 30 kilometres from the Al Udeid Air Base—America’s largest military installation in the Middle East—was aimed at Hamas leaders including exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al Hayya. Hamas later confirmed the death of Al Hayya’s son and his office director, though the leader himself survived.
Doha reassesses ceasefire role
Sheikh Mohammed said the attack had forced Qatar to reconsider its role as a mediator in future ceasefire talks, signalling a fundamental shift in Doha’s approach to the Gaza conflict.
“I’ve been rethinking, even about the entire process for the last few weeks, that Netanyahu was just wasting our time,” he said, describing recent negotiations as “meaningless.”
The prime minister said Qatar was in “very detailed conversations” with Washington on how to proceed, but warned that unless Israel was deterred, the conflict risked spiralling out of control. “There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners,” he said.
Nations rally behind Qatar
The attack has prompted a strong regional unity. The United Arab Emirates issued a strongly worded condemnation of Netanyahu’s threats and rhetoric towards Qatar, affirming that the security of one Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state is indivisible from the security of all.
In a statement, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that aggression against Qatar constituted “an attack on the collective Gulf security framework” and warned that Israel’s provocative actions risked dragging the region into “extremely dangerous trajectories.”
Several Arab leaders, including the Sultan of Oman and the Emir of Kuwait, have travelled to Doha to express solidarity, underscoring the potential for an Arab-Islamic summit to crystallise a coordinated diplomatic—or military—response.
Netanyahu’s 9/11 analogy
Netanyahu, however, doubled down on the operation, defending the strike as necessary to eliminate Hamas leadership. He drew a controversial parallel between Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault on Israel and the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
“We remember September 11. On that day, Islamist terrorists committed the worst savagery on American soil since the founding of the United States,” he said. “We also have a September 11… on that day, Islamist terrorists committed the worst savagery against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
The Israeli leader said his country’s operation mirrored the US decision to hunt down Al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “What did America do in the wake of September 11? It promised to hunt down the terrorists wherever they may be. Yesterday, we acted along those lines,” Netanyahu said, claiming Qatar gave Hamas leaders safe haven, funding, and luxury accommodations.
He also lashed out at international criticism, accusing world governments of hypocrisy. “When America took out Osama bin Laden, nobody said, ‘What a terrible thing was done to Afghanistan or to Pakistan.’ They applauded. They should applaud Israel.”
The strike has left Washington in an uncomfortable position. US President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the operation, a rare sign of public discontent from Israel’s staunchest ally. American officials have also been forced to reckon with the proximity of the strike to their own Central Command hub in Qatar, raising questions about the security of US assets in the region.
Meanwhile, Hamas’ response remains uncertain. Sheikh Mohammed admitted he could not predict how the group might have reacted to the latest US ceasefire principles had Israel not struck Doha, but he warned both sides were “running out of chances” to secure a truce.
