DOHA – Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed said the actions carried out in Gaza amounted to war crimes and that those responsible should be held accountable.
His remarks came during a wide-ranging interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan in which he also discussed Qatar’s relations with Hamas, regional diplomacy and efforts to mediate in conflicts involving the United States and Iran.
Asked directly whether he considered Netanyahu a war criminal, the Qatari prime minister said yes, pointing to attacks on hospitals and schools in Gaza.
“Whatever the justifications and arguments, nothing is justifying this,” he said, according to reports of the interview.
Sheikh Mohammed also rejected allegations that Qatar had financed Hamas’s military operations. He accused the Israeli government of conducting a campaign against Qatar aimed at undermining Doha’s role as a mediator in regional conflicts.
The Qatari premier said Israel’s actions in Gaza should not be justified by political or security arguments and maintained that Qatar would continue its diplomatic and mediation efforts despite tensions with Israel.
US-Iran talks make little progress as Qatar mediation stalls
The recent talks between the United States and Iran have made little progress, with efforts led by Qatar to broker a diplomatic breakthrough facing a stalemate, the three sources familiar with the negotiations cited by Axios earlier in the day.
The sources said both Washington and Tehran remained unwilling to move away from their respective positions, making it difficult for mediators to bridge their differences.
The latest developments come amid continuing diplomatic efforts to prevent a renewed escalation between the United States and Iran. Qatar and Pakistan have been involved in mediation efforts aimed at resolving differences over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Qatari officials are expected to continue efforts to facilitate an agreement, although frustration with the positions of both sides is reportedly growing.
According to the report, Qatari mediator Ali Al-Thawadi met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his team in New York two days ago to discuss a two-page proposal presented by Doha. The proposal reportedly included Iran’s demand for an end to the US naval blockade and Washington’s call for concessions from Tehran on its nuclear programme.
After meeting Araghchi, Al-Thawadi also held talks in Washington with Jared Kushner and other US officials. Vice President JD Vance participated in part of the discussions, according to the report.
Pakistan, Egypt and other regional mediators have also urged Iran to show flexibility on nuclear issues. Tehran, however, has maintained that it would consider concessions only if Washington returns to the understandings reached in the June agreement.
