Qatar on Wednesday strongly condemned remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that called the Gulf state’s mediation role in the current conflict in Gaza “problematic,” according to an Israeli television report.
In an earlier meeting this week with families of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu questioned Qatar, which had mediated alongside the United States and Egypt in a one-week ceasefire in November that allowed the release of some 100 hostages from Gaza.
“Don’t expect me to thank Qatar … which is basically no different from the UN or the Red Cross, but more problematic,” Netanyahu told the families, according to an audio recording obtained by Israel’s Channel 12.
The Israeli prime minister added that Qatar “has the means to pressure (Hamas), why? Because they fund them,” expressing his “deep anger” at Washington’s decision to renew an agreement keeping US military presence in the Gulf state for an additional 10 years.
In response to the remarks, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a post on the platform “X”: “We strongly condemn the remarks attributed to the Israeli prime minister in various media reports about Qatari mediation. If the remarks are confirmed, they are irresponsible and obstruct efforts to save innocent lives.”
Qatar, Egypt, and the United States are currently trying to mediate a new ceasefire in Gaza that would allow the release of more than 130 hostages still held in the territory and the delivery of more humanitarian aid to civilians.
Al-Ansari said that if the reported remarks are true, Netanyahu is “undermining and obstructing mediation efforts for narrow political reasons instead of prioritizing saving lives.” He also urged Netanyahu to not “bother with Qatar’s strategic relationship with the United States.”
Qatar hosts the forward headquarters of the US Army Central Command (CENTCOM) at Al Udeid Air Base and allows US Navy ships patrolling the Gulf to dock regularly.
It also hosts the political leadership of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Gazans since 2007.
