Members of the media gather at the press room reserved for the coverage of the upcoming Arab-Islamic summit, organised to discuss the recent Israeli attack on Qatar, in Doha. AFP
In a statement on Sunday, the Islamic Resistance Movement explained that it has sent a memorandum to foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim countries, as well as the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Arab League, explaining the details of the Israeli attack on its top Gaza ceasefire negotiators in the Qatari capital on 9 September.
The Hamas appeal comes on the eve of the Arab and Islamic summit on Monday, which was called by Qatar, to formulate a response to the Israeli aggression on Doha last week, which triggered Arab, Islamic and international condemnation.
Earlier on Sunday, speaking in Doha ahead of the summit, the Qatari premier and foreign minister vowed that the Israeli attack on his country last week would not deter it from continuing to work with Egypt and the US to end the Israeli war on Gaza.
"The attack was not just on a location but an assault on the principle of mediation itself ... Israel’s actions will not deter us from continuing our efforts with Egypt and the United States to stop the war," stressed the Qatari PM.
In its statement on Sunday, Hamas condemned the "treacherous Zionist attempt to assassinate its negotiating delegation in Doha and holds the Israeli occupation government the full responsibility for this crime and for sabotaging the efforts to reach a ceasefire and prisoner swap."
It added that the attempted assassination came just one day after senior Hamas leaders, including members of the negotiating team, met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, where they received “a new proposal for a ceasefire.”
"The delegation had convened to discuss and respond to this proposal when it was targeted," Hamas wrote in the memo, noting that the Israeli attack targeted the home of Dr. Khalil al-Hayya, head of the negotiating team.
Hamas stated that the bombing was a serious violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar and warned that Israel's escalation could undermine the mediation process entirely.
“The reckless and treacherous attack constitutes a grave violation of Qatari sovereignty and a direct blow to the principle of mediation itself."
The Palestinian group noted that it had “shown the highest degree of flexibility to halt the genocide against our people."
It warned that “the occupation government has persistently sabotaged every agreement through assassinations, adding conditions, and committing massacres, using negotiations as a cover for more time and more crimes.”
It added that Israel "had previously dared to assassinate the movement’s leader, the martyr Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, despite the movement having agreed at that time to a mediation initiative.”
Hamas warned that “the Israeli enemy overturned the 17 January 2025 ceasefire agreement [mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the Biden Administration] and resumed aggression with massacres, displacement, and starvation, despite Hamas’s full commitment to its terms.”
“We are a democratically elected national liberation movement seeking to achieve the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence. Our leaders must not be treated as military targets to justify the occupation’s crimes," said Hamas.
The movement warned: “The extremist right-wing Israeli government, driven by apocalyptic visions, is opening a dangerous door to extremism and terrorism in the region and the world.”
In the memo, Hamas called on the international community and Arab and Islamic countries to work toward:
- “Pressure to end the aggression and genocide in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.”
- “End Israel’s unchecked aggression, which flagrantly violates international law.”
- “Compel the occupation to respect international law and respond to the legitimate rights of our people.”
- “Boycott and isolate Israel politically and economically.”
- “Prosecute Israeli leaders in international courts for genocide and violations of state sovereignty.”
“Our people’s struggle and resistance aim to liberate the land, establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and guarantee the return of refugees,” concluded the statement.
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