Qatari PM labels Netanyahu a war criminal

What has been done in Gaza is a war crime.

Istanbul (ANTARA) - The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has referred to the head of the Israeli authority, Benjamin Netanyahu, as a “war criminal”, while emphasising that Qatar will continue its mediation efforts despite escalating regional tensions.

“Of course. What has been done in Gaza is a war crime, and anyone responsible for that is a war criminal,” said Sheikh Mohammed during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on Tuesday (29/9).

Hospitals and schools in Gaza have become targets of the war.

“Whatever the justification or argument, nothing can justify that,” added Sheikh Mohammed.

He also accused Netanyahu of politically attacking Qatar to divert attention from his own actions and his administration.

“We are being attacked by Israel while we are conducting mediation. Netanyahu has crossed the line, just as he has crossed other lines previously,” he said.

The Prime Minister described the attacks as an unprecedented assault on the mediating party.

Despite the rising tensions, he stated that Qatar would continue to prioritise diplomacy, as engagement through closed channels remains the most effective way to achieve progress.

Regarding the broader regional conflict, he stated that there are three issues that need to be addressed to ease the war: the nuclear programme and sanctions against Iran, freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and a regional security arrangement involving Iran and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

He stated that a regional security framework must be built on dialogue, the principles of non-intervention and non-aggression, accompanied by increased economic cooperation.