Qatar will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha from September 14–15, following a rare Israeli airstrike that targeted senior Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital. The summit was announced on Thursday by Qatar’s foreign ministry and will be preceded by a meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers on Sunday, according to the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA).
The airstrike on Tuesday marked a serious escalation in Israel’s military campaign and drew sharp international condemnation. It also triggered heightened tensions between Qatar and Israel, as Doha accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of making “explicit threats of future violations of state sovereignty.”
Netanyahu had earlier warned Qatar to either expel Hamas leaders or “bring them to justice,” blaming the Gulf state for allegedly sheltering and financing the group. In response, Qatar issued a strong rebuke, asserting that Hamas’ presence in Doha was part of mediation efforts requested by both the U.S. and Israel.
Qatar’s foreign ministry stressed that all negotiations involving Hamas were conducted transparently and with international oversight. The upcoming summit aims to rally Arab and Islamic nations in response to the Israeli action and defend Qatar’s sovereignty amid rising regional tensions.
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