From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Qatar says it’s ‘focused on protecting our sovereignty,’ suggesting Gaza mediation ‘secondary’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari suggests that, following Israel’s strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha last week, the Gulf state’s role as a mediator of Gaza ceasefire talks has receded as a priority.
Ansari says at a weekly press briefing, regarding the mediation efforts, “We are now focused on protecting our sovereignty and responding to the [Israeli] attack, and on taking all necessary measures to ensure this does not happen again. All other political considerations are currently of secondary importance.”
Qatar previously vowed to continue in the mediator role despite the strike, which Israeli and Hamas officials both indicated did not kill the terror group’s leadership.
The Times of Israel Community.