The Emir of Qatar, a key mediator for the ongoing Gaza truce, has accused Israel of violating the 11-day-old ceasefire after a series of deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza.
“We reiterate our condemnation of all Israeli violations and practices in Palestine, particularly the transformation of the Gaza Strip an area unfit for human life (and) the continued violation of the ceasefire,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in an annual address to the Shura Council legislative body on Tuesday.
He also expressed Qatar’s denunciation of the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the attempts to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied East Jerusalem.
The emir called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its genocidal war in Gaza and to provide protection for the civilians in the enclave.
“Israel has violated all international laws and norms governing relations between states by attacking a country that acts as a mediator and by its attempt to kill delegation members,” he said in reference to the Israeli attack on the Hamas delegation in Doha.
“We considered this aggression an act of state terrorism, and the global response was strong enough to shock the perpetrators,” he added.
Separately, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, too, had earlier called on international actors to pressure Israel to respect the Gaza ceasefire, agreed on October 10.
Israeli air strikes has killed about 100 Palestinians since the ceasefire deal and wounded over two hundred others.
The group said it is working to return Israeli hostages’ remains despite major obstacles, Israeli strikes on holding sites and rubble.
Hamas has released 20 living hostages and returned 13 sets of remains in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem accused Israel of repeated ceasefire violations and using aid restrictions as political pressure against Gaza’s civilians.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war has killed over 68,200 Palestinians and wounded more than 170,000, highlighting urgent humanitarian concerns.
