Israel Warns Hamas ‘Wherever They Are’ as Qatar Hosts Emergency Summit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would continue pursuing Hamas leaders “wherever they are,” as Arab and Islamic leaders gathered in Doha for an emergency summit following last week’s Israeli strike on Qatar.
The September 9 attack, which targeted Hamas figures in the Qatari capital, marked a significant escalation in the nearly two-year Gaza war, ignited by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 assault on Israel. Hamas said five of its members were killed in the strike, though its leadership survived. A Qatari security officer was also among the dead.
The Doha summit is expected to issue a resolution warning that Israel’s “hostile acts,” including the strike on Qatar, endanger regional coexistence and undermine ongoing efforts to normalize ties with Israel, according to a draft seen by Reuters.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani denounced the attack as “cowardly and treacherous,” revealing that Hamas leaders were reviewing a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal mediated by Qatar and Egypt when the strike occurred. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani added that Israeli aggression would not derail Doha’s mediation efforts alongside Washington and Cairo.
The strike has rattled U.S.-aligned Gulf states, further straining Israel’s already fragile relations with the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties in 2020.
Speaking in Jerusalem alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu said Israel was still assessing the outcome of the Doha strike. Rubio, who will travel to Qatar next, urged Doha to continue playing a “constructive role” in resolving the conflict, particularly in securing the release of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza.
“My message is that they have to be very, very careful,” Rubio said. “They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States.”
Draft Resolution Warns of ‘Collapse of Coexistence’
An excerpt of the draft resolution circulated ahead of the summit accuses Israel of “genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, siege, colonization and expansionist policies,” warning that such actions threaten “everything achieved on the path of normalization with Israel.”
Israel has faced mounting accusations of genocide in Gaza, including from the world’s largest association of genocide scholars, amid a campaign that local authorities say has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians. Israel rejects the charge, citing its right to self-defense after the October 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Gaza Assault Intensifies
Even as diplomacy unfolded in Doha and Jerusalem, Israeli forces intensified their assault on Gaza City. Local health officials reported at least 16 Palestinians killed in strikes on two homes and a tent sheltering displaced families.
The Israeli military also demolished a 16-floor building—thought to be the tallest in Gaza—after warning residents to evacuate. The army claimed the high-rise concealed “terrorist infrastructure.”
Despite growing international outrage over Gaza’s soaring civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis, Rubio voiced firm U.S. support for Israel, signaling Washington’s continued alignment with Netanyahu’s government.
