A senior Qatari official said on Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s violations of international law “will not go unpunished,” adding that Doha’s immediate priority was defending its sovereignty after Israel’s “treacherous attack” on Qatar last week over mediating a ceasefire in Gaza.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told reporters in Doha that mediation efforts “do not seem realistic at the moment,” following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the Gulf state.
The visit came a week after Israel carried out an airstrike on Doha targeting Hamas leaders that drew Arab and international outrage.
Rubio had urged Qatar to continue its role as mediator between Israel and Hamas, saying there was a “very narrow window” to reach a ceasefire deal.
Rubio had said that if there is one country in the world that can help mediate, it is Qatar.
Al-Ansari dismissed Netanyahu’s claim that the Doha strike was a “message” that had succeeded, saying it reflected the Israeli leader’s repeated attempts “to justify his failures with reckless policies.”
“We also have a message for him: breaching international law without consequence will not continue. Targeting a state that plays a mediating role shows he does not respect the international community or even prioritize the return of his own hostages in Gaza,” Al-Ansari said.
He added that Qatar’s focus now was “entirely on defending our national sovereignty and ensuring accountability for those responsible, so that such an attack is never repeated.” Political considerations, he said, “come second to this pressing reality.”
The US State Department said Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s strong ties with Doha, thanked it for efforts to stop the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages, and stressed Washington’s “firm support for Qatar’s security.”
Al-Ansari also pointed to Monday’s emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, which condemned the Israeli assault and expressed solidarity with Qatar, as well as an extraordinary Gulf Cooperation Council statement that outlined measures to address the attack.
He called the regional backing “an important and resonant message, not only in the Arab and Islamic worlds but internationally,” adding that executive-level measures would follow in the coming days.
