‘Nothing is justifying this’: Qatari PM slams atrocities in Gaza

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkQatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks prior to a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex, Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026 [Fabrice Coffrini/Reuters]Published On 29 Sep 202629 Sep 2026Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that whoever is responsible for the situation in Gaza is a “war criminal” in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan.Sheikh Mohammed made the comment on Tuesday in relation to a question about the nature of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip on “Piers Morgan Uncensored”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Qatar denounces Israeli aggression across the regionlist 2 of 3Qatar on mediation efforts: ‘We can’t let diplomacy fail’list 3 of 3‘Netanyahu targets Qatar to deflect from Gaza war crimes’end of listThe prime minister said that while the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel was “a massacre, and should be condemned” and that “whoever was responsible should be held accountable”, the Israeli response was unjustified.“Hospitals have been targeted, schools have been targeted. Whatever the justifications and the arguments, nothing is justifying this,” he added.He also referred to the state of the October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, saying that “more than 1,400 Gazans have been killed” since it ostensibly came into effect.“There is more occupied territory – almost 70 percent of the Strip has been occupied and not allowed by the Israeli forces. They are not fulfilling their commitments of this agreement,” he said.“This is just showing that they have different intentions.”He said Qatar’s efforts to broker a ceasefire had been repeatedly “undermined [by Israel] from day one of the war”.Sheikh Mohammed also condemned Israel’s attack on Qatar in 2025. Israel launched an unprecedented strike in Doha targeting senior Hamas officials convened for negotiations, sparking a deadly explosion that violated Qatar’s sovereignty.“We were attacked by Israel while we were mediating and trying to push for Trump’s proposal at that time in Doha. It was unacceptable and condemned. It’s setting a precedent of attacking the mediator that has never happened throughout the wars in history,” he said.“Netanyahu has crossed the line like he has crossed other lines before that.”Playing the role of mediator has not been easy, the Qatari leader said, but he believes diplomacy behind closed doors is the most effective way to make progress.“We are trying to do our best to give the best advice to the US government on how to reach a solution, as well as to the Iranians,” he added.With regards to the US-Israel war on Iran, Sheikh Mohammed said that three matters needed to be resolved to end the war: agreement on Tehran’s right to “peaceful nuclear power” and the removal of sanctions; agreement on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz according to international law; and reform of regional security arrangements, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Iran.The latter “wouldn’t happen without dialogue between Iran and GCC and setting the principles of what a good neighbourhood relationship should be, and this should include non-interference in each other’s affairs, include non-aggression on each other and … trying to build an area of common interest where we work together in areas of energy and economy, and trade and business, and allow the chance for this region to unleash its potential”, he said.