Qatar has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent remarks on Doha’s mediation role in the Gaza war, saying his comments are detrimental to mediation efforts in the besieged enclave.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday, after a leaked recording allegedly captured Netanyahu calling the Persian Gulf state “problematic”.
“We are appalled by the alleged remarks attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister in various media reports about Qatar’s mediation role,” Ansari said.
“If the reported remarks are found to be true, the Israeli PM would only be obstructing and undermining the mediation process, for reasons that appear to serve his political career instead of prioritizing saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages,” he added.
The Qatari spokesman further expressed hope that Netanyahu decides to “operate in good faith and concentrate” on the release of the captives, “instead of concerning himself with Qatar’s strategic relations with the United States.”
In a leaked recording from a meeting with families of captives that aired on Israel’s Channel 12 news on Tuesday, Netanyahu called Qatar “problematic”.
“You haven’t seen me thank Qatar, have you noticed? I haven’t thanked Qatar. Why? Because Qatar, to me, is no different in essence from the UN, from the Red Cross and in a way it’s even more problematic,” Netanyahu said.
However, he added, he is willing to use any mediator who can help bring the captives home.
The Israeli premier further accused Qatar of financing the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, adding that he “got very angry with the Americans” for renewing a deal to extend US military presence at a base in the Persian Gulf state.
Qatar played a key role in mediation efforts and helped secure a week-long ceasefire in Gaza that ended on December 1 and allowed Palestinian resistance groups and the Israeli regime to exchange captives and prisoners while enabling international organizations to deliver badly-needed humanitarian aid to the coastal sliver.
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.
Since the start of the aggression, Israel has killed more than 25,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
