Qatar slams Netanyahu's 'reckless' remarks on Hamas

Qatar strongly rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a sharply worded statement early Thursday, calling his comments about Qatar hosting a Hamas office "reckless."

The exchange followed Israel’s attempted airstrike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu warned Qatar to either expel Hamas officials or "bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will." He also accused Qatar of providing safe haven and financial support to Hamas.

In response, Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned Netanyahu’s "explicit threats of future violations of state sovereignty." The statement emphasized that negotiations were always conducted officially and transparently, with international support and the presence of both U.S. and Israeli delegations. It accused Netanyahu’s claims that Qatar secretly harbored the Hamas delegation of being a desperate attempt to justify a widely condemned crime.

Qatar, alongside Egypt, has been mediating peace talks between Hamas and Israel and warned that Israel’s attack on Doha risks undermining those negotiations.