UNSC to hold emergency session following Israel’s attack on Qatar – SABC News
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency session later on Wednesday in the aftermath of Israel’s military strike against Hamas in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.
The strike has been roundly condemned by a growing number of countries and the UN, while the United States (US) President Donald Trump said he was not thrilled about the attack on Qatar.
Algeria and Pakistan requested the council meeting after Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman referred to Israel’s strike in Doha as a treacherous act that was not known until the moment it occurred.
The Israeli strike against a US ally has put Washington in a difficult position, officials saying the attack on Qatar would not advance Israel or America’s goals.
The strike was said to have killed six people, including a Qatari security officer, but a Hamas statement later said its leadership was fine.
‘Violation of the sovereignty’
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Israel’s attack on the Qatari capital.
The strike was confirmed by Israeli Government leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who posted on X that the action against Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation and that Israel took full responsibility.
Israel’s strike against Hamas comes just days after the US proposed new parameters for a possible ceasefire arrangement in Gaza.
Speaking at the launch of a new UN report highlighting the massive disparities between global military and global development spending, Guterres says, “We are just learning about the Israeli attacks in Qatar, a country that has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. I condemn this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.”
He adds, “ All parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it. Today’s breaking news underscores the importance of the report that we launch today. It lays bare a stark reality: the world is spending far more on waging war than on building peace.”