Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu contacted Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani this morning and formally apologised for violating Qatari sovereignty in Israel’s recent strike on Qatar’s capital Doha.
International news agency Reuters reported that Israeli PM also expressed regret for the killing of a Qatari security officer in the deadly air strike.
It reported that Israeli Prime Minister’s apology over the strike was a key Qatari condition for resuming its mediation with Hamas over a deal to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages. The apology call, which happened during Netanyahu’s meeting with President Trump at the White House, which is continuing, and the entire world is looking forward to developments regarding Gaza, could clear the way for such a deal.
Israel had attempted to take out Hamas’ leaders in the Sept 9 deadly attack in Doha, but only managed to kill lower-level officials while uniting Arab leaders in outrage.
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The strike paradoxically helped create momentum in the region behind a comprehensive deal to end the war, which Trump hopes to announce during Netanyahu’s visit today.
