Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned he didn’t rule out additional strikes on Hamas leaders “wherever they’re,” because the heads of Arab and Islamic states held a summit to again Qatar after Israel’s assault final week within the Gulf state.
The Sept. 9 strike concentrating on leaders of the Palestinian militant group in Doha was a big escalation of Israeli navy motion in a area shaken by battle for the reason that Hamas-led October 7, 2023, assaults that ignited the Gaza struggle.
Whereas the assembled Arab and Muslim leaders have been expressing solidarity with Qatar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Netanyahu and gave sturdy backing for Israel’s hardline stance, though Washington has expressed unease over the Qatar strike.
Talking alongside Netanyahu in Israel, Rubio mentioned the one technique to finish the struggle in Gaza can be for Hamas fighters to free all hostages and give up. Whereas the U.S. needs a diplomatic finish to the struggle, “we’ve got to be ready for the chance that’s not going to occur,” he mentioned.
Washington has mentioned it was not warned upfront earlier than Israel attacked Qatar, which homes the most important U.S. navy base within the Center East. President Donald Trump mentioned on Sunday that Israel needed to be “very, very cautious.”
“They must do one thing about Hamas, however Qatar has been an incredible ally to the USA,” Trump mentioned.
Trump repeated on Monday his assertion that Israel is not going to be putting Qatar once more.
Qatar denounces ‘cowardly and treacherous’ strike
Hamas has mentioned the Israeli strike killed 5 of its members, together with a son of its exiled Gaza chief, however its management survived. Qatar says one among its safety brokers additionally died.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani urged the summit to take “sensible and decisive steps” in response to the “cowardly and treacherous” strike, saying it occurred as Hamas leaders have been learning a U.S. ceasefire proposal.
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The ultimate communique of the summit, which introduced collectively states together with Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, didn’t include language that appeared in a draft seen by Reuters which mentioned the Israeli assault and different “hostile acts” threaten coexistence and efforts to normalize ties within the area.
A separate assertion by the Gulf Cooperation Council mentioned Israel’s “continuation of those aggressive insurance policies undermines … the way forward for current understandings and agreements with Israel.”
The summit’s communique did name on international locations to assessment diplomatic and financial ties with Israel, in what Arab League Assistant Secretary Normal Hossam Zaki mentioned was an invite to states which have relations with Israel to revise them.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, a U.S. ally which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, advised the assembly Israel’s actions “put obstacles in the way in which of any alternatives for any new peace agreements and even aborts current ones.”
Additionally on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a separate, digital assembly with the leaders of Canada, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and the UK targeted on the state of affairs within the Center East.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s workplace mentioned in a press release that Carney expressed solidarity with Qatar and agreed Israel’s actions “violate Qatar’s sovereignty and pose a grave threat of escalating battle all through the area.”
“All leaders agreed that the main focus should stay on advancing peace and safety, together with reaching a long-lasting ceasefire, securing the discharge of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas, and scaling up flows of life-saving help for Palestinian civilians,” it mentioned.
Carney additionally reaffirmed Canada’s plan to acknowledge a Palestinian state at this month’s United Nations Normal Meeting, becoming a member of France, Britain and different international locations in a transfer criticized by each Israel and the U.S.
Rubio will journey to Qatar after his go to to Israel. He known as on Qatar to proceed to play a constructive position in resolving the Gaza battle, saying it might assist attain the targets of releasing all 48 hostages nonetheless held in Gaza, disarming Hamas and constructing a greater future for Gazans.
However his phrases alongside Netanyahu advised Washington now considers a diplomatic resolution unlikely and is backing Israel’s plan for a serious new navy operation that Netanyahu says will crush Hamas as soon as and for all.
“As a lot as we might need that there be a peaceable, diplomatic technique to finish it, and we’ll proceed to discover and be devoted to it, we additionally must be ready for the chance that’s not going to occur,” mentioned Rubio, calling Hamas “savage terrorists.”
“Hamas must stop to exist as an armed aspect that may threaten the peace and safety of the area,” he mentioned.
Netanyahu didn’t rule out annexing the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution in response to strikes by some international locations to acknowledge a Palestinian state on the U.N. Normal Meeting later this month. France and Britain are among the many international locations which have mentioned they may achieve this.
Requested whether or not Israel was contemplating extending its sovereignty to the West Financial institution, Netanyahu mentioned: “A future step is a future step. We don’t want to reveal it forward of time.”
“It’s clear that taking unilateral actions towards us merely invitations unilateral actions on our half,” he mentioned.
Whereas diplomacy was unfolding in Jerusalem and Doha, Israeli forces continued their assault on Gaza Metropolis, the place they killed at the very least 16 Palestinians in strikes on two houses and on a tent housing a displaced household, native well being authorities mentioned.
The military additionally hit and destroyed a 16-floor constructing within the west of town, believed to be the tallest in Gaza, about an hour after warning displaced households sheltering inside and close by to depart. It mentioned the constructing was getting used to cover “terrorist infrastructure.”
The struggle in Gaza was triggered by a rampage into southern Israel by Hamas militants who killed round 1,200 folks and captured 251 hostages, in accordance with Israeli tallies. Israel responded with an assault that has killed greater than 64,000 folks, in accordance with Palestinian well being authorities.
(Extra reporting by Nayera Abdallah, Jaidaa Taha and Maha El Dahan in Dubai, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Steven Scheer in Jerusalem and Maayan Lubell, Humeyra Pamuk in Washington, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Ezgi Erkoyun in Turkey; Writing by Tom Perry; Modifying by Peter Graff and Daniel Wallis)
