“Shameful attempt” – Qatar slams Netanyahu over Hamas office claims
Tengrinews.kz – Qatar has sharply condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about the presence of a Hamas office in Doha, calling them a “shameful attempt therein to justify the cowardly attack that targeted Qatari territory”. The statement was published on the official website of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry stressed that Netanyahu was well aware the Hamas office was established in Doha within Qatar’s mediation efforts at the request of both the United States and Israel. According to the statement, the office played a central role in brokering ceasefires and prisoner exchanges, widely recognized by the international community as measures that brought relief to Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages in urgent need of humanitarian aid after the October 7 events.
Qatar said all negotiations had been conducted transparently, with the participation of U.S. and Israeli delegations and international backing.
“Netanyahu’s insinuation that Qatar secretly harbored the Hamas delegation is a desperate attempt to justify a crime condemned by the entire world,” the ministry noted.
The statement also rejected Netanyahu’s comparison with the hunt for al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, calling it another pathetic attempt to cover up treacherous actions.
On September 9, Israel launched its first-ever strike on Hamas targets in Qatar. Explosions were reported in Doha, where the group’s political leadership is based. The move triggered strong international backlash: Kazakhstan, the UN and Arab nations condemned it as a violation of sovereignty, while the U.S. and European states voiced disapproval.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier denounced the strike, saying, “Whatever motives lie behind these actions, they are unacceptable as they clearly trample on Qatar’s sovereign rights and contradict the principles of international law.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the attack “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.” U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly described Netanyahu’s decision to strike Hamas leaders in Doha as “reckless” during a conversation with the Israeli prime minister.