ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday telephoned Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and assured him of Islamabad’s support, Sharif’s office said, after Israeli airstrikes targeted Hamas leaders in Doha.
Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted homes of several members of Hamas’s political bureau residing in the Gulf country, where the militant group’s senior leadership is based.
A Hamas official in Gaza told AFP the group’s negotiators had been “targeted” in Doha, though it was not immediately clear whether the attack had caused any casualties.
During his conversation with Qatar’s emir, Sharif condemned the “unlawful and heinous” airstrikes by Israeli forces and expressed his solidarity with the people of Qatar, according to the Sharif’s office.
“He called the Israeli aggression a brazen violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, that posed a most dangerous provocation and could imperil regional peace and stability,” Sharif’s office said.
“The Prime Minister assured His Highness that Pakistan stood like a rock with the State of Qatar, against Israel’s aggression and called for unity within the ranks of the Ummah at this critical time.”
The Qatari emir thanked the prime minister for the call and for the sincere expression of solidarity with the Qatari people at this “challenging moment,” according to Sharif’s office.
“Both leaders agreed to remain in contact in the interest of regional peace and security,” it added.
Tuesday’s strikes, Israel’s first attack on the Gulf state, come less than two weeks after Israel’s armed forces chief vowed to target the group’s leaders based abroad.
“Most of Hamas’s leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on August 31.
Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has led multiple attempts to end Israel’s war against Hamas, which was killed more than 64,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Despite sealing two temporary truces, the successive rounds of talks have failed to bring a lasting end to the war.
Qatar condemned Tuesday’s attack, saying it had targeted residential buildings housing Hamas political bureau members.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a post on X.
Separately, Pakistan’s foreign office condemned the Israeli “aggression” against Qatar.
“This reckless action by Israel is yet another manifestation of its continued disregard for international peace and security, and its policy of destabilizing the region,” it said.
“We reaffirm our principled position in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, and call upon the international community to hold Israel accountable.”
