New York – Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has accused Israel of deliberately undermining diplomatic efforts to halt the war in Gaza, calling a recent attack in Doha a “treacherous” act that threatens to derail ceasefire negotiations.
Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim said the September 9 strike which targeted senior Hamas officials meeting in Doha amounted to “state terrorism” and a political assassination. While the Hamas leadership escaped unharmed, six people were killed in what Qatar described as an unprecedented attack inside its territory.
“The strike took place in a residential neighborhood that includes schools and diplomatic missions,” the Emir told world leaders. “It undermines any diplomatic effort aimed at ending the genocide against the people of Gaza and shows Israel’s disregard for the most basic rules of cooperation.”
Israel Accused of Using Talks as a Cover
Qatar has been one of the main mediators in efforts to broker a truce, working alongside Washington and regional powers. But Sheikh Tamim alleged that Israel was negotiating in bad faith.
“They sit at the table to negotiate while simultaneously plotting to assassinate members of the negotiation teams,” he said. “This is a mentality that treats diplomacy as merely a continuation of war by other means.”
He further accused Israel of trying to make Gaza “unlivable a place where no one can study, no one can receive treatment, and no one can survive.”
‘Genocide and Apartheid’
In one of the strongest speeches delivered at the UN gathering, Sheikh Tamim described Israel not as a democracy, but as a state engaged in genocide. He argued that its long-standing tactic of branding critics as “antisemitic or terrorists” has begun to lose credibility even among allies.
Drawing parallels to the anti-apartheid movement of the last century, he said: “Today we witness a global solidarity movement similar to the international movement that helped end apartheid.”
Regional and Global Reaction
The Emir’s remarks came as Gaza remained at the forefront of the UN General Assembly agenda. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign.
World leaders echoed his alarm. US President Donald Trump whose administration had proposed the latest ceasefire plan said the war must be halted “immediately,” though he stopped short of condemning Israel for the Doha attack. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that “silence in the face of barbarity makes one complicit,” while Jordan’s King Abdullah II called the war “one of the darkest moments in this institution’s history.”
Several European countries, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco and Andorra, used the occasion to officially recognize Palestinian statehood. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged governments to put human rights at the center of their response, warning that ignoring violations would only legitimize “the rule of the jungle.”
Qatar’s Warning to the World
Concluding his address, Sheikh Tamim linked the Doha attack to the broader erosion of international norms. “If we allow such violations to go unchecked, we are allowing the collapse of the rules-based order and replacing it with a world where might makes right,” he said.
For Qatar, which hosts the US Al Udeid air base and has often served as a bridge between adversaries, the September 9 strike was more than an attack it was a direct challenge to its sovereignty and role as mediator.
