Arab-Islamic Summit Condemns Israeli Attack on Qatar, Warns of Regional Fallout

DOHA — Arab and Islamic leaders are set to denounce Israel’s recent attack on Qatar and other hostile measures, describing them as threats to coexistence and the regional normalization process, according to a draft resolution prepared for Monday's summit in Doha.

The summit aims to express solidarity with Qatar following the Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders based in the Gulf state. The September 9 attack, which Hamas confirmed resulted in the deaths of five members but spared its leadership, has heightened tensions among U.S.-aligned Gulf Arab countries, straining relations notably between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel — two nations that normalized relations in 2020.

An excerpt from the draft resolution, reviewed ahead of the summit, states: "The brutal Israeli attack on Qatar and ongoing hostile acts, including allegations of genocide, ethnic cleansing, siege, and territorial expansion, endanger prospects for peace and coexistence in the region." It further warns that these actions jeopardize "all achievements made toward normalizing ties with Israel, including current and future agreements."

Israel denies accusations of genocide despite widespread criticism, including from major genocide scholars, amid a nearly two-year military campaign in Gaza that local authorities say has killed more than 64,000 people. Israel justifies its operations as self-defense following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault which killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages, based on Israeli figures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has intensified pressure on Qatar, demanding the expulsion or prosecution of Hamas leaders residing there, warning on Wednesday that failure to act would provoke Israeli intervention. Netanyahu claimed that removing Hamas leaders from Qatar is essential to securing the release of hostages and ending the Gaza conflict.

Conversely, Qatar, which acts as a mediator alongside Egypt and the United States, accuses Israel of undermining peace prospects and labels Netanyahu’s actions as "state terrorism." The attack claimed the life of a member of Qatar’s internal security forces. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani affirmed that these Israeli maneuvers will not deter Qatar’s ongoing mediation efforts.

U.S. former President Donald Trump expressed disapproval of Israel’s strike, asserting it did not advance American or Israeli objectives. He praised Qatar as a vital ally committed to peace and relayed to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani that such attacks would not recur on Qatari soil. While supporting the goal of eradicating Hamas, Trump emphasized respecting Qatar’s role.

The UAE, a key participant in the 2020 Abraham Accords normalization deal with Israel—the first Arab nation to do so since Jordan in 1994—responded by summoning Israel’s deputy ambassador to protest the attack and Netanyahu’s contentious remarks. The UAE underscored that Qatar’s stability is integral to the security of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which includes Saudi Arabia, a nation committed to Palestinian statehood before establishing ties with Israel.

This summit underscores growing regional unease as Arab and Islamic countries reaffirm their commitment to peace while confronting escalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions.