NEW YORK – UN Security Council will convene an emergency session after Israeli airstrikes in Doha killed six people, including relatives of a senior Hamas negotiator and a Qatari security officer. The unprecedented attack has shaken ongoing ceasefire negotiations and triggered worldwide condemnation.
The meeting, scheduled for 3 p.m. in New York (1900 GMT), was requested by Algeria, Pakistan, and other member states, diplomats told AFP.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres sharply denounced the strikes, describing them as “a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” In a statement on X, he praised Qatar’s mediation in Gaza and urged renewed efforts toward a permanent ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Tuesday that Doha would continue its mediation role despite what he called a “pivotal moment” for the region. “Nothing will deter us from continuing this role for all the issues around us in the region,” he said, while insisting that Qatar reserved the right to respond to what he described as a “blatant attack.”
The strikes killed six, including the son of Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, and have threatened to derail already fragile mediation talks.
US President Donald Trump called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, distancing himself from the decision to strike inside Qatar, a key American ally that also hosts the region’s largest US airbase.
White House confirmed that Qatar was notified only after the strikes had begun, a claim Doha also emphasized, saying the call from Washington came as the attack was already underway. Trump said his envoy attempted to warn Qatari authorities but admitted the effort came “too late.”
