Qatari PM calls Gaza aid blockade immoral ‘stain’ on world, as Israel slams ICJ hearings on issue

Israel’s aid blockade on the Gaza Strip aims to achieve political goals at the cost of Palestinian lives, says Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

“What has been happening in the Gaza Strip for more than a year and a half offers painful lessons,” says Al-Thani at the opening of the 2025 Global Security Forum in Doha.

“The death of children from hunger and cold is exploited as a tool to achieve narrow political objectives, while an entire population is besieged and denied the most basic rights to receive aid, without any accountability,” he is quoted as saying in a statement shared by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.

Israel announced yesterday that it would not participate in oral proceedings this week at the UN’s International Court of Justice on Israel’s humanitarian obligations toward Palestinians, including the provision of aid to Gaza.

Israel strictly controls all entry of aid for the 2 million-plus Palestinians in Gaza, and halted aid deliveries to the enclave on March 2 after the collapse of a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said earlier today that Israel will not agree to cooperate with the UNRWA aid agency, claiming that it “employed over 1,400 known terrorists, many of whom took an active part in the October 7 atrocities.”

Al-Thani says at the forum that “what is most painful, and a stain on the conscience of the entire world, is that food and medicine have become weapons in this war.”

Yesterday, the Qatari leader said he saw “a bit of progress compared to other meetings” regarding ceasefire negotiations last week mediated by Qatar and Egypt, adding: “We need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That’s the key point of the entire negotiations.”