DOHA/ISTANBUL

Qatar vowed Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s violations of international law “will not go unpunished.”

On Tuesday, Netanyahu said that last week’s Israeli strike that killed five Hamas members in Doha was a “message,” claiming that the attack had not failed.

“We are used to the Israeli prime minister trying to deflect and justify his failures after every setback he suffers due to his reckless policies,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a news briefing in Doha.

“We also want to send him a message: violations of international law will not go unpunished.”

Regarding Qatar’s mediation efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal, Ansari said this “does not appear realistic since the Israeli premier wants to assassinate everyone who negotiates with him and bomb the mediating state.”

“Qatar is currently fully focused on defending its national sovereignty, responding to the treacherous Israeli attack against it, taking all necessary measures to ensure it is not repeated, and holding those responsible accountable.”

“All other political considerations are now secondary in light of the situation we are dealing with today,” he added.

Qatar, alongside Egypt and the US, has been mediating efforts to end Israel's war against the Gaza Strip, which has killed almost 65,000 victims since October 2023.