Israel’s strike in Qatar an ’intolerable expansion of violence,’ Carney says

Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke out against Israel’s strike on the headquarters of Hamas political leaders in Qatar on Tuesday.

Canada condemns Israel’s strikes in Qatar — an intolerable expansion of violence and an affront to Qatar’s sovereignty, the prime minister said in a statement on social media.

Hamas said the strike killed five of its members as the militant group’s top figures gathered to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Qatar has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas throughout the nearly two-year-long war and referred to Tuesday’s attack as a flagrant violation of all international laws.

This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar, Majed Al-Ansari, adviser to the Qatari prime minister and spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in a post on X.

Carney said the attack puts a negotiated ceasefire in Gaza at risk.

Regardless of their objectives, such attacks pose a grave risk of escalating conflict throughout the region, and directly imperil efforts to advance peace and security, secure the release of all hostages and achieve a lasting ceasefire, Carney said in his statement.

Israel has long threatened to strike Hamas leaders wherever they are. While it has often welcomed Qatar’s role as a mediator, alongside Egypt, it has also accused the Gulf nation of not putting enough pressure on the group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to publicly claim responsibility for the strike, saying: Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it and Israel takes full responsibility.

WATCH | CCTV footage captures Israeli attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar:

CCTV footage captures Israeli attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar

CCTV footage, which was posted to social media and verified by Reuters, shows the immediate aftermath of an Israeli strike on a building in Doha, Qatar, with flames and a billowing black cloud of smoke.

The United States said Israel alerted it before the strike, but American officials sought to distance the U.S. from the attack.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that U.S. President Donald Trump believes the Israeli strike was an unfortunate incident that didn’t advance peace in the region. She said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the strike and made his thoughts and concerns very clear.

WATCH | White House describes Israel’s Doha strike as ‘unfortunate incident’:

White House describes Israel’s Doha strike as ‘unfortunate incident’

Donald Trump directed diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar about an impending Israeli attack on Hamas targets in Doha, after the U.S. military informed the president of the planned strike, the White House said on Tuesday. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Trump believes the attack was an ‘unfortunate incident’ that didn’t advance peace in the region. Qatar has denied being informed of the attack beforehand.

Trump himself later posted a statement on his Truth Social website, reiterating that Israel acted alone.

This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me. Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals, the president wrote.

Trump also said he spoke with the Qatari emir and prime minister and assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.

Carney’s statement followed other condemnations from Western leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack unacceptable while U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the strikes violate Qatar’s sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres condemned the attack saying all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.

WATCH | UN head on Israeli strikes in Doha:

Guterres calls Israeli strike on site in Qatar ‘flagrant violation’ of sovereignty

UN Secretary General António Guterres, who was set to speak about the risks of increased military spending on Tuesday, spoke briefly about the Israeli strike on a site in Doha, condemning the attack and again urging all parties to work toward a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Netanyahu said the Doha strike was in retaliation for the deadly shooting attack at a Jerusalem bus stop Monday and an attack on Israeli forces in Gaza that killed four soldiers.

The strike further widens the country’s campaign against the militant group, which launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage, prompting a military campaign by Israel on Gaza that has killed more than 60,000 people.

Negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages have been underway, but such a strike could complicate talks.

The attacks also come as Israel appears to be preparing to escalate its military campaign in Gaza, specifically around Gaza City, which last month was declared under famine by the world’s leading authority on food crises.

Palestinians living in the area were airdropped Israeli leaflets on Tuesday ordering them out, after Israel said it was about to launch an assault to wipe out Hamas.

This article is republished from RCI.