Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, has delivered a scathing rebuke of Israel following an attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Doha, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging hostage negotiations and derailing hopes for peace.
In a candid interview with CNN, Al-Thani called the strike “barbaric” and said it shattered the fragile process aimed at securing the release of hostages held in Gaza.
“We were thinking that we are dealing with civilized people. The action that Netanyahu took — I cannot describe it, but it’s a barbaric action,” Al-Thani said. “I met with one of the hostages’ families on the morning of the attack. They had no other hope but this process. Netanyahu killed it yesterday.”
The Qatari leader characterized the attack as “state terror” and accused Israel of betraying Doha’s trust after months of mediation efforts. He confirmed that a 22-year-old Qatari security officer was killed in the strike, while Hamas reported five of its members were killed — though its negotiators survived. Several individuals remain missing.
Al-Thani said Qatar is now reassessing its role as a mediator, accusing Netanyahu of using negotiations as a delaying tactic rather than pursuing a genuine resolution.
“He wasn’t serious about anything. We are rethinking everything,” he said, adding that Qatar is holding detailed talks with Washington on the next steps.
Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, said it learned of the strike not from Israel but from U.S. military officials shortly before it was launched.
Regional leaders are now coordinating a “collective response,” Al-Thani revealed, with an Arab-Islamic summit set to be held in Doha in the coming days.
“We are hoping for something meaningful that deters Israel from continuing this bullying,” the prime minister said.
The incident marks a major escalation in tensions between Qatar and Israel and could jeopardize ongoing international efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages.
