In brief
An emergency Arab-Islamic summit is underway in Qatar in response to Israel's airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha. The summit seeks to condemn Israeli actions described as 'hostile,' while analysts are skeptical about potential military responses. Qatari officials have criticized perceived double standards in international reactions and called for accountability against Israel, which defends its actions as necessary for peace negotiations.
An emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic states is taking place in Qatar in response to Israel's air strike on Hamas leaders in Doha last week.
A draft resolution seen by the Reuters news agency condemns what it calls Israel's hostile acts including genocide, ethnic cleansing, [and] starvation, which it says threatens prospects of peace and coexistence. Israel has strongly denied such allegations.
It is not clear what practical decisions could be taken, as analysts say any kind of military response is out of the question.
Earlier, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani urged the international community to stop applying double standards and to punish Israel.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump stated that Qatar has been a very great ally and emphasized the need for caution in military actions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Israel to discuss the ongoing Gaza conflict and the implications of the airstrike.
The Israeli strike last week faced condemnation from the UN Security Council, which expressed solidarity with Qatar and called for de-escalation.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog justified the military action, claiming it was necessary to eliminate threats to ongoing peace negotiations. The airstrike resulted in fatalities among Hamas leaders, including the son of a key negotiator, and a Qatari security officer.
Qatar has positioned itself as a mediator in negotiations between Hamas and Israel since hosting the Hamas political bureau in 2012 and maintains strong ties with the US, hosting significant military assets on its territory.
