Qatar Accuses Netanyahu of Deflection as Gaza Mediation Strains
Qatar's prime minister accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of targeting Qatar to deflect attention from alleged war crimes in Gaza during an exclusive interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored published on Sept. 29. Al Jazeera
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, said whoever is responsible for the situation in Gaza is a "war criminal." He condemned the targeting of hospitals and schools in the Strip, saying "nothing is justifying this." Al Jazeera
His criticism was aimed at both sides. He said the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 was "a massacre, and should be condemned" and that whoever was responsible should be held accountable.
Doha says it will keep mediating. The prime minister said Qatar will continue to uphold diplomacy and mediate for peace in the Middle East, and that diplomacy behind closed doors is the most effective way to make progress. Think of a mediator like a referee who talks to each team separately when they will not meet face to face. A ceasefire, the formal deal to stop fighting, is the main goal of those quiet talks.
He pointed to Israel's 2025 strike in Doha as a central complaint. That attack targeted senior Hamas officials who had gathered for negotiations, he said, and violated Qatar's sovereignty, which is a country's right to control what happens inside its own borders. He said Qatar was attacked by Israel while mediating and trying to push for Trump's proposal at that time in Doha.
He argued Qatar's efforts to broker a ceasefire had been repeatedly undermined by Israel from day one of the war. On the current agreement, he said almost 70 percent of the Gaza Strip has been occupied and Israeli forces are not fulfilling their commitments under the ceasefire agreement. He said more than 1,400 Gazans have been killed since the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire came into effect. On a separate track, he said Qatar is trying to give advice to the U.S. government and to Iranians on how to reach a solution.
The broader context here is the bind facing a mediator that was itself struck. Qatar presents itself as a channel that talks to parties other go-betweens cannot or will not engage directly, including Hamas and Iran, while keeping a working relationship with Washington and a ceasefire framework linked to President Trump. Being attacked in its own capital while hosting negotiators puts pressure on that model. It raises questions about safety for talks, about whether armed groups will gather in one place, and about whether public pressure changes work that is normally done quietly.
Looking at what this means for the next phase, two positions will be difficult to hold together. Doha insists quiet negotiation works and that it intends to persist. At the same time, it now publicly accuses Israel of repeated undermining of mediation, noncompliance with ceasefire commitments, and deflection through confrontation with Qatar. That public stance may protect credibility at home and in the region after the Doha strike. It also leaves less room for discreet compromise. The signs to watch are whether negotiating teams return to Doha, whether ceasefire rules are written more tightly, and whether the parallel U.S.-Iran advisory channel leads to meetings or stays at the level of advice.
