Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, following an Israeli strike in Doha that targeted Hamas leaders.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Al Thani described the operation as “barbaric” and accused Israel of “state terror,” claiming the action shattered any remaining hope for hostages held in Gaza.
“We were thinking that we are dealing with civilized people,” Al Thani said. “And the action that (Netanyahu) took - I cannot describe it, but it’s a barbaric action.”
The Prime Minister said Tuesday’s strike undermined Qatar’s mediation efforts and left the region reeling. He revealed that a 22-year-old Qatari security officer was killed and that other Qataris remain in danger. The fate of Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya remains unknown, with Al Thani stating there is “no official declaration.”
Al Thani expressed frustration with Netanyahu’s approach to ceasefire talks, saying, “He wasn’t serious about anything,” and dismissed recent negotiations as “meaningless.” He added that Qatar is now “reassessing everything” regarding its role in future talks and is in “very detailed conversation” with the United States.
Despite the attack, Al Thani said Qatar would not be deterred from its mediation efforts, though he warned that both Israel and Hamas are “going to run out of chances” to reach a ceasefire.
On Tuesday, hours after the Israeli attack, Al Thani labeled it an act of “state terrorism” and said that Qatar “reserves the right” to respond to Israel.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he was “not thrilled” by Israel’s strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar.
“I'm not thrilled about it. I'm not thrilled about the whole situation. It's not... not a good situation,” Trump said when asked about the Israeli strike.
“But I will say this: We want the hostages back. But we are not thrilled about the way that went down today,” he added.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in her daily press briefing that the US had informed Qatar before the Israeli attack. However, Al Thani later claimed that the United States had informed Qatar of the strike ten minutes after it occurred.