Qatar announced on Saturday that it will convene a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in response to Israel’s strike on Hamas officials in Doha, aiming to rally support for the Gulf nation.
According to foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, the gathering on Monday will deliberate on “a draft resolution on the Israeli attack on the State of Qatar,” which ministers are set to prepare on Sunday.
He stressed that the meeting demonstrates “broad Arab and Islamic solidarity with the State of Qatar in the face of Israel’s cowardly aggression… and the categorical rejection of Israel’s state terrorism,” as reported by the official QNA news agency.
Confirmed attendees include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
Turkish leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will also be in Doha, though it remains uncertain if he will join the session.
The Israeli airstrikes last Tuesday on the Qatari capital claimed the lives of five Hamas members along with a Qatari security officer.
The assault sparked condemnation worldwide, even from US-aligned Gulf monarchies, despite Washington being Israel’s closest ally.
Qatar, home to the largest American military base in the region, has been a key mediator in the Gaza conflict alongside Egypt and the United States.
Experts view the summit as a message to Israel. Andreas Krieg of King’s College London said the strikes were “seen across the Gulf as an unprecedented violation of sovereignty and an attack on diplomacy itself,” noting that the meeting underlines that “such aggression can’t be normalised.”
“The goal is to draw clear red lines and end the sense in Israel that it can act with impunity,” Krieg added. “Expect a sharper stance on Palestine and a harder edge on Israeli actions.”
