Israel has called Qatar to clarify its position in the ongoing Gaza conflict, accusing the Gulf State of interpreting both parties in their role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.
In a statement on Saturday, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister urged Qatar to “stop playing on both sides with his double talk and decide if he is on the side of civilization or if he is on the side of Hamas.” Qatar quickly rejected comments as “inflammatory.”
According to Reuters, acute exchange occurs in the midst of the continuous diplomatic efforts led by Egypt and Qatar to negotiate a high fire between Israel and Hamas.
However, both parties remain rooted in their demands, with few signs of commitment.
Israel argues that any high fire agreement must include the disarmament of Hamas and exclude the group of any future government of Gaza.
It also requires the return of 59 hostages that are still maintained in the enclave. Hamas, on the other hand, insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal and a permanent high to military operations before accepting to free the hostages.
The spokesman of the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, Majed Al-Ansari, replied on Sunday morning, stating: “The state of Qatar firmly rejects the inflammatory statements issued by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, which do not reach the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility.”
Al-Ansari went further to challenge Israel's frame of the conflict, making comparisons with historical regimes that “used false narratives to justify crimes against civilians.”
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He questioned the effectiveness of military action to ensure hostages, contrasting it with the success of diplomatic mediation.
He also highlighted the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing what he described as a “suffocating block, systematic starvation, denial of medicine and refuge, and the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for political coercion.”
Meanwhile, escalation signs persist. On Friday, Israel's security cabinet approved plans for an expanded military operation in Gaza, indicating a lack of progress in negotiations to stop the conflict and free the remaining hostages.
The war was caused by Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and led to 251 hostages.
Since then, Israel's military response has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins. Help organizations continue to warn of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe under the current blockade.
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