The following article is a comment piece from the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians

On Tuesday 9 September, Israel launched an unprecedented strike on Doha, the capital of Qatar. It is an infringement of yet another sovereign country’s territory by Israel. And it is a testament to Israel’s unwavering dedication and commitment to derailing peace and any possible ceasefire agreement by any means.

Israel bombs peace negotiations in Qatar

Israel claims to have targeted the Hamas leadership in Doha during peace negotiations. Al Jazeera has reported that the targeted site was a residential area housing a number of foreign embassies.

The strike targeted a meeting during which Hamas leaders were considering the ceasefire negotiations and hostage release deal proposed by the US. As the Canary reported, the US was purportedly informed of the strike ahead of the attack, despite the US classifying Qatar as a “major non-NATO ally (MNNA)”.

Israel’s strike on the sovereign territory of one of the key mediators between Israel and Hamas is an extraordinary and unprecedented development. Qatar has long hosted peace negotiations since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

A ‘flagrant violation’ of international laws

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel’s violation of Qatar’s sovereignty. Qatar has condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms”. It referred to the attack as a “flagrant violation” of international laws. Hamas leaders survived the attack, but it killed six people, including a Qatari security officer.

Qatar also referred to Israel’s “continued tampering with regional security”. Indeed, this strike marks the fifth Arab country that Israel has bombed in the past month. It includes Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Lebanon.

This is the inevitable consequence of unfettered Israeli impunity, which the West has enabled through its longstanding acquiescence and complicity in the Israeli genocide against Palestinians. Striking the sovereign territory of a mediating country is reaffirmation of Israel’s unwavering dedication and commitment to derailing peace by all means necessary.

Featured image via the Canary