Leaders and officials from 57 countries convened in Doha on Monday for an emergency Arab-Islamic summit following Israel’s airstrike on Hamas officials in the Qatari capital. The attack, which killed several people including a Qatari internal security officer, was condemned across the region as a violation of sovereignty and a threat to stability.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani opened the meeting by declaring that Israel seeks to divide Syria, but said such plans “will not succeed.” He stressed that targeting Qatar, which has acted as a mediator in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, undermines peace efforts.
Regional Shock and Global Confusion
The strike marked the first time Israeli warplanes targeted Doha, a close ally of Washington and host of the largest US military base in the Middle East. President Donald Trump said he was not informed in advance by Israel, contradicting accounts that the White House learned shortly before the operation. Trump later expressed frustration, calling the attack a unilateral move that “did not advance US or Israeli interests.”
Analysts say the incident has rattled Gulf states that have long relied on US security guarantees. “If Israel can strike Doha with impunity, what prevents other capitals from facing the same risk?” said Serhat Suha Cubukcuoglu of Trends Research and Advisory.
Syrian President’s Call for Unity
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s address condemned Israel’s strike as an unprecedented act. “It is rare in history for a negotiator to be killed, and unprecedented for a mediator to be targeted,” he said. Sharaa declared that Syria and its people “stand with our brothers in Qatar, honoring them and the justice of their stance against the brutal Israeli aggression.”
He linked the Doha attack to Israel’s broader campaign, noting Israel has struck Syria repeatedly over the past nine months while the assault on Gaza continues. “When a nation is united, it is stronger, and when a nation is divided, it is weaker,” he told delegates, urging Arab states to close ranks against external threats.
Unified Condemnation of Aggression
The final communiqué issued by the summit denounced the Israeli action as a “cowardly and illegal attack” and voiced “absolute solidarity” with Qatar. Leaders said the airstrike violated international law and endangered peace and security in the region, while calling for urgent international measures deterring repeated Israeli strikes across the Middle East, including in Syria and Lebanon.
The summit urged the international community to condemn Israeli violations, ensure accountability and support mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the US. Leaders also welcomed the upcoming two-state solution conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in New York on Sept. 22, as part of renewed efforts to recognize a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
As the communiqué concluded, participants affirmed Qatar’s sovereignty is inseparable from regional security. The Israeli strike, they said, was not only an attack on Doha but “a message to every Arab and Islamic capital” about the fragility of current security guarantees.
