Hamas promises to keep fighting after Israeli attack on Qatar

Qatar’s prime minister called the attack ‘state terror,’ as region plans response.

A spokesperson for Hamas has promised that the group will keep fighting after Israel attacked Qatar’s capital this week in an attempt to assassinate senior leaders of the Palestinian group, including negotiators engaged in talks on securing a ceasefire in Gaza.

“The Israeli attack cannot dent our resolve by targeting our leaders,” Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said in a news conference televised on Al Jazeera on Thursday. “The crime did not target the negotiating delegation, but rather the entire negotiation process.”

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The Hamas delegation was meeting in Doha to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal put forth by the US at the time of the attack, Barhoum said, adding that Israel’s goal was to “torpedo” the negotiating process.

The attack came at a time when Qatar, one of the lead mediators between Israel, the United States and Hamas, had been trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 64,600 people since October 2023.

Five members of Hamas were reportedly killed in the attack this week, including the son of Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. At least one Qatari security official died in the attack, as well.

The purpose of Israel’s missile attack was to “injure what Qatar symbolises, the support of all the aggrieved and oppressed,” Barhoum said.

He also stressed that Hamas’s key demands — including the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and reconstruction of the enclave — have not wavered. He described the ongoing siege, bombardment and mass displacement in Gaza as “a full-fledged war crime.”

Since Tuesday’s strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened further attacks on Qatar.

“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice,” Netanyahu said. “Because if you don’t, we will.”

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani responded by calling Israel’s attack on Doha “state terror” in an interview with US media outlet CNN on Wednesday.

“There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners in the region,” the prime minister told CNN, adding that “the entire Gulf region is at risk”.

Source:

Al Jazeera and news agencies