World leaders react to Israel attack on Qatar

Qatar’s regional allies and world powers condemned Israel’s strike on Doha Tuesday, which targeted Hamas political leaders in the first attack of its kind in the Qatari capital.

Doha, a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, called the attack “cowardly” and said it targeted “residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas”.

Here is a roundup of the key reactions:

‘Violation of sovereignty’

UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned Israel’s “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” which he said has “been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and release of all hostages.”

Fellow mediator Egypt condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of international law”.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the strikes marked “a dangerous precedent, an unacceptable development and a direct attack on the sovereignty of the State of Qatar”.

Iran, a key backer of Hamas, said the attack was an “extremely dangerous and criminal action”.

Saudi Arabia said it “condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli aggression and the blatant violation of the sovereignty” of Qatar.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said the attack was “clear proof of Israel’s expansionist policies in the region and its adoption of terrorism as state policy”.

“Targeting the Hamas negotiation delegation while ceasefire negotiations are ongoing demonstrates that Israel aims not to achieve peace but to continue the conflict,” it added.

‘Unacceptable’

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the “brutal Israeli attack” constituted a “blatant violation of international law and an escalation that threatens regional security and stability”.

The United Arab Emirates called the attack “an irresponsible escalation that threatens regional and international security and stability”.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Israel “will continue its aggression, its brutal wars, its violations of international law… unless the international community, especially the Security Council, takes the necessary steps to deter it and curb its aggression”.

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the attack was an “entirely unacceptable violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty.

“Israeli behaviour has become detached from all established international norms and the fundamentals of international law,” Aboul Gheit’s spokesperson Jamal Roshdi said.