Doha Summit After Qatar Strike
Arab, Islamic Leaders Meet in Doha After Deadly Strike on Qatar
DOHA – A deadly attack carried out by one U.S. ally against another has ignited outrage across the Middle East, prompting Arab and Islamic leaders to convene an emergency summit in Qatar on Monday.
The strike, which drew sharp criticism even from U.S. President Donald Trump, has heightened pressure on Israel as it faces mounting calls to end the war in Gaza and the deepening humanitarian crisis there. Despite his rebuke, Trump sent Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Israel in a gesture of support.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a preparatory meeting on Sunday that Israel’s “war of extermination” in Gaza would not succeed. He accused the international community of double standards, saying its failure to hold Israel accountable only encouraged continued aggression.
Leaders expected at the Doha summit include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas arrived in Qatar on Sunday.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said the gathering will debate a draft resolution addressing the Israeli strike on Qatari territory.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel’s actions now pose a wider regional threat. “The biggest problem right now is Israeli expansionism in the region,” he told Al Jazeera. “Arab and Islamic countries must come together and find a solution based on this newly defined problem.”
Analysts say the summit will test whether Arab and Muslim leaders are willing to move beyond symbolic communiques. Elham Fakhro of Harvard’s Middle East Initiative predicted Gulf states would push Washington to rein in Israel while also seeking stronger U.S. security guarantees. Karim Bitar of Sciences Po University called the gathering a “litmus test,” saying the region’s people want concrete action, not just rhetoric.
Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, has been central to mediation efforts in the Israel-Hamas conflict, alongside the United States and Egypt. Sheikh Mohammed recently met President Trump in Washington, highlighting Qatar’s balancing role between Western allies and regional partners.
Hamas official Bassem Naim said the group hoped the summit would deliver “a decisive and unified Arab-Islamic position” against Israel’s actions.
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