DUBAI: Qatar prepared Monday to host a summit over Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha last week, hoping a group of Arab and Islamic nations will offer a way to restrain Israel as its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip grinds on.
The attack on Hamas leaders came as Qatar serves as a key mediator in an effort to reach a ceasefire in the war, something Doha insisted it will continue to do even after the assault.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Israel has retaliated against the militant group and others in Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” launching strikes in Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria, Qatar and Yemen. That’s led to a wider anger by Mideast nations already enraged by the over 64,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza – and a growing concern that the US security umbrella in the Gulf Arab states may not be enough to protect them.
“It is time for the international community to stop applying double standards and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, told a meeting Sunday.
However, it remains unclear just what the summit will be able to achieve, given some nations already have diplomatic recognition deals with Israel and may be reluctant to sever ties.
