Qatar will continue 'diplomatic' role in mediating Gaza ceasefire after Doha strikes, PM says

QATARI PRIME MINISTER Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has assured the UN Security Council that his country will continue its “diplomatic” role in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We will continue our humanitarian and diplomatic role without any hesitation, in order to stop the bloodshed,” he told the UN body, after earlier suggesting a reassessment of his country’s mediation efforts following the Israeli strikes in Doha.

Doha has been a venue for several rounds of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

The emirate allowed Hamas to set up a political office in Doha in 2012 with the blessing of the US, which has sought to maintain a communication channel with the group.

Sheikh Mohammed previously said he hoped for a collective regional response to the attack and that an Arab-Islamic summit would be held in Doha to decide on a course of action.

The Security Council today condemned the strikes on Doha, without naming Israel which carried them out.

In a statement that required the agreement of all 15 council members, including Israel’s ally the US, the council “underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar”.

It came as Hamas accused the US of complicity in the strikes and lambasted Israel for seeking to kill off Gaza truce talks as Doha buried the dead.

The unprecedented Israeli strikes on a Gulf state sent shockwaves through the region on Tuesday and halted already floundering Gaza talks.

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“This crime was… an assassination of the entire negotiation process and a deliberate targeting of the role of our mediating brothers in Qatar and Egypt,” Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said in a televised statement.

Funerals

In Doha, tight security surrounded the mosque where prayers were held as the Gulf state’s ruler joined mourners.

One coffin bearing a Qatari flag and five others bearing Palestinian flags were brought into the mosque, live footage from Qatar television showed.

Facing the coffins, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, prayed alongside dozens of mourners, some wearing traditional white robes, others wearing military uniform.

The dead were buried in the Mesaimeer Cemetery after the funeral at Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque.

Authorities beefed up security, with checkpoints on access roads to the mosque.

Barhoum accused Washington of being “a full accomplice” in the Israeli attack.

The White House said Trump did not agree with Israel’s decision to take military action.

He said he was not notified in advance and when he heard, he asked his envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar immediately – but the attack had already started.

Israel said it targeted Hamas leaders, but the group said its top officials survived.

Hamas said five of its members were killed – top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya’s son Hamam, his office director Jihad Labad and bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk, Abdallah Abdelwahd and Mumen Hassoun.

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Qatari Lance Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari was also killed.

Barhoum said Hayya’s wife, his son’s wife and his grandchildren were wounded in the attack on the compound where he lived.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed said he could not confirm Hayya’s fate. The Hamas chief negotiator was not seen in footage of the funeral today.

Pictures shared on Hamas’s Telegram channel showed Osama Hamdan – a senior figure in the movement – attending the burial, along with political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq.

A post by the group said several Hamas members were present at the funeral.

The attack has drawn sharp condemnation and a show of solidarity from Gulf neighbours.

The United Arab Emirates said “any aggression against a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) member state constitutes an attack on the collective Gulf security framework”.

© AFP 2025