By Andrew Mills, Jana Choukeir and Simon Lewis
DOHA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned he did not rule out additional strikes on Hamas leaders “wherever they’re” because the heads of Arab and Islamic states held a summit to point out assist for Qatar after Israel’s assault on the Gulf state final week.
The September 9 strike focusing on leaders of the Palestinian militant group in Doha marked a major escalation of Israeli army motion in a area shaken by battle for the reason that Hamas-led October 7, 2023 assaults that ignited the Gaza struggle.
The emergency Arab-Islamic summit hosted by Doha is predicted to warn that the Israeli assault and different “hostile acts” by Israel threaten coexistence and efforts to normalise ties within the area, in keeping with a draft decision seen by Reuters.
Addressing the summit, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani mentioned the Israeli assault was “cowardly and treacherous”, saying Hamas leaders had been finding out a U.S. ceasefire proposal introduced to them by Qatar and Egypt when it came about.
Hamas says the Israeli assault killed 5 of its members however not its management. A member of Qatar’s inner safety forces was additionally killed.
Focusing on shut U.S. ally Qatar, the Israeli strike has prompted U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states to shut ranks, notably including to strains in ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, which have been normalised in 2020.
Talking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem, Netanyahu mentioned Israel was nonetheless getting remaining studies on the outcomes of the strike.
Rubio will journey to Qatar after his go to to Israel, a senior U.S. State Division official mentioned.
Rubio known as on Qatar to proceed to play a constructive function in resolving the Gaza battle, saying it may assist attain the objectives of releasing all 48 hostages nonetheless held in Gaza, disarming Hamas and constructing a greater future for Gazans.
“And so we will proceed to encourage Qatar to play a constructive function in that regard,” he mentioned.
U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated displeasure on the assault and mentioned on Sunday Israel must be cautious.
“My message is that they should be very, very cautious. They should do one thing about Hamas, however Qatar has been an excellent ally to the USA,” he mentioned.
ISRAELI ATTACK THREATENS ‘COEXISTENCE’
An excerpt of the draft decision seen by Reuters mentioned “the brutal Israeli assault on Qatar and the continuation of Israel’s hostile acts together with genocide, ethnic cleaning, hunger, siege, and colonizing actions and enlargement insurance policies threatens prospects of peace and coexistence within the area.”
These actions threaten “every thing that has been achieved on the trail of normalizing ties with Israel together with present agreements and future ones”, in keeping with the draft, which was drawn up by international ministers assembly forward of the summit.
Israel has been broadly accused of committing genocide towards Palestinians in Gaza, together with by the world’s largest group of genocide students, throughout its almost two-year marketing campaign within the Palestinian enclave that has killed greater than 64,000 individuals, in keeping with native authorities.
Israel rejects the accusation, citing its proper to self-defence following the October 7 assault that killed 1,200 individuals and resulted within the seize of 251 hostages, in keeping with Israeli figures.
Qatar has acted as a key mediator within the Gaza battle and has accused Israel of sabotaging possibilities for peace and Netanyahu of working towards “state terrorism”.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani mentioned on Sunday that Israel’s actions wouldn’t cease Doha’s mediation efforts with Egypt and the USA.
ISRAEL DESTROYS 16-FLOOR BUILDING IN GAZA
Whereas diplomacy was unfolding in Jerusalem and Doha, Israeli forces have been persevering with their assault on Gaza Metropolis, the place they killed at the least 16 Palestinians in strikes on two houses and on a tent housing a displaced household, native well being authorities mentioned.
The military additionally hit and destroyed a 16-floor constructing within the west of the town, believed to be the tallest within the Gaza Strip, about an hour after warning displaced households sheltering inside and close by to depart. It mentioned the constructing was getting used to cover “terrorist infrastructure.”
Rubio gave robust backing to Israel, which has grown more and more remoted on the world stage due to widespread indignation on the huge demise toll in Gaza and the continuing humanitarian and starvation disaster within the Palestinian enclave.
(Extra reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Dubai and Steven Scheer in Jerusalem and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Writing by Tom Perry)