By Sudesh Baniya

Copyright dohanews

Qatar is hosting leaders from across the Arab and Islamic world for the emergency summit expected to take measures against Israel’s attack in Doha.

Leaders from Arab and Islamic countries are set to convene in Doha on Monday at the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit to discuss a resolution drafted by the preparatory meeting a day earlier, in light of Israel’s attack on Qatar on September 9, targeting the Hamas delegation.

Majed Al-Ansari, advisor to the Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the summit “reflects the broad Arab and Islamic solidarity with the State of Qatar in confronting the cowardly Israeli aggression.”

Resolute measures against Israel — which has targeted Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Tunisia and Qatar in addition to its ongoing bombardment and choking famine in Gaza — are expected to come out of the summit to be chaired by Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Follow our live blog for developments from the preparatory meeting:

Malaysian Prime Minister latest to call for actions beyond condemnation

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged resolute actions, not just mere words of condemnation, becoming the latest leader at the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit to call for unified measures against Israel.

“Condemnations will not stop the missiles and declarations will not free Palestine,” Ibrahim said.

“Severe, punitive actions must be put in place. Diplomatic engagements must cease, and so must take relations with Israel.”

[Posted 6:35 PM]

Israel setting rare precedent targeting a mediator: Syrian President

Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa expressed full solidarity with Qatar, calling out Israel’s attacks on his own country.

“It is one of the rare occurrences in history that a negotiator is killed, and it is a rare precedent for the mediator to be targeted,” Al-Sharaa said during his emergency Arab-Islamic Summit speech.

“The Israeli aggression against Gaza continues while attacking Syria over the past nine months,” he added.

[Posted 6:28 PM]

What’s next for Qatar as mediator after Israeli strikes?

“I don’t think it will affect our mediation efforts,” Rashid Al-Mohanadi, non-resident fellow at Middle East Council on Global Affairs, told Doha News when asked about Qatar’s future as a mediator.

“We’re one of the few states that mentions mediation as a foreign policy tool within our constitution,” Al-Mohanadi said on the sidelines of the summit.

“It might change how we approach the mediation when it comes to anything involving Israel. But it shouldn’t affect the overall efforts.”

“We have many active mediations around the world, in Latin America, Africa and Europe. The world needs these mediations,” he added.

[Posted 6:10 PM]

Arab League urges states to hold Israel accountable

Arab League’s Secretary General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, has urged nations to hold Israel accountable over the genocide in Gaza and attacks across the region.

“The leader of the occupying state is wanted by international justice,” he said during the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha. “We urge all nations to pursue and hold everyone involved in the war in Gaza accountable.”

[Posted 6:00 PM]

Israel continues Gaza genocide

Israel has killed at least 37 Palestinians, including five aid seekers, on Monday as the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit convenes in Doha to confront Israeli actions.

At least three people have died due to hunger in the last 24 hours, the local health ministry said, due to the choking blockade imposed by Israel.

It also flattened Al-Ghafri tower, a high-rise in Gaza City, as intensified bombardments continue to make the strip further uninhabitable.

[Posted 5:54 PM]

Arab-Islamic Summit can restrain ‘fascist’ Netanyahu

Speaking to Doha News, President of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti, said concrete measures from the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit could restrain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reckless actions.

“It [Israel] is behaving like the Nazi regime,” Barghouti said on the sidelines of the summit.

“Netanyahu is behaving like a fascist leader. The summit can restrain him if they take serious measures, declaring a boycott on Israel, cancelling normalisation agreement […] and sending a message to the U.S. that an attack on an Arab or Muslim country is an attack on all and that its interest would be affected negatively if Israel is allowed to continue these aggressions.”

[Posted 5:28 PM]

Iran’s President urges actions beyond condemnation

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Israel’s ongoing violations of international law in Gaza and beyond, adding that condemnations will remain “hollow” if no concrete actions are taken.

Claiming that the ongoing situation was created and enabled by external support, he called for “collective action” rather than “case-by-case responses”, urging that violators be isolated and prevented from receiving arms.

He stressed the need to enforce unity and solidarity across the region and to stand together — hand in hand — to confront what he called Israel’s continued breaches of humanitarian and international law.

[Posted 05:20 PM]

Jordan’s King expresses ‘absolute’ support for Qatar

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has called for decisive action against Israel, adding that Qatar’s security is interlinked with the wider region.

“Qatar’s security is our security and its stability is our stability, and we affirm our absolute support for it,” he added, addressing the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit.

[Posted 05:10 PM]

Israel has crossed all red lines, says Egypt’s President

Israeli attack on Doha was yet another example of Israeli actions that have crossed all red lines, according to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

“This belligerence reflects clearly that Israeli practices have gone beyond diplomatic and military logic,” he said. “They have crossed all red lines.”

[Posted 5:03 PM]

Rubio to travel to Qatar from Israel

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently on his visit to Israel, will make a stop in Qatar on Tuesday, reports Al Jazeera, citing a senior State Department official.

Rubio will then join President Donald Trump in London for his state visit to the U.K., it added.

[Posted 5:00 PM]

Türkiye President calls for ‘severe sanctions’ to deter Israeli action

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for “severe sanctions” to counter Israel’s actions during his address at the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha.

Israeli entity’s “greedy, blood-thirsty mentality” continues to violate tenets of international law with impunity, Erdogan said.

He also said that Türkiye is willing to share expertise and cooperate with the Arab and Islamic states, especially in defensive capabilities, to exert more impactful economic pressure on Israel.

[Posted 4:56 PM]

Iraqi Prime Minister calls for collective security response

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani has called for a collective response system where an attack on one Arab or Islamic country is treated as an attack on all.

“We have a real opportunity to send a clear message confirming that the security of our countries is not a matter of negotiation,” Al-Sudani said, calling for actions beyond “verbal condemnations”.

[Posted 4:40 PM]

Qatar ‘determined’ to confront Israeli aggression and protect sovereignty

Qatar’s Amir ended his opening speech with a firm stance, saying his country is determined to protect its sovereignty and regional stability in the face of Israeli attacks.

“Israel rejects peace with its surrounding states and wants to impose its will on them,” he added.

“We are determined to do everything necessary to preserve our sovereignty and confront the Israeli aggression.”

[Posted 4:26 PM]

Qatar’s Amir: Israel wants ‘extermination’ in Gaza

Qatar’s Amir said Israel’s continuing onslaught on Gaza is intended to completely exterminate the besieged strip’s population.

“If stopping the war is the price to release its [Israeli] captives, then it doesn’t want that. Israel wants to make Gaza uninhabitable,” Sheikh Tamim, also the chair of today’s summit, added.

[Posted 4:13 PM]

Israeli attack on Qatar ‘blatant, shameless, and cowardly’, says Qatar’s Amir

In his opening address at the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani slammed Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Doha as a “blatant, shameless and cowardly” act.

“The Israeli prime minister who brags about reshaping the Middle East means Israel can intervene whenever it wants,” the Amir said.

“Our citizens and residents were shocked, and the entire world was stunned by the cowardly aggression and terrorist act,” he added.

“If Israel wanted to kill the political leadership of Hamas, why did it negotiate with them?”

[Posted 4:09 PM]

Arab, Muslim leaders in Doha for emergency summit

Leaders from across the Arab and Muslim countries are in Doha for the emergency summit.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt are already in Doha and will attend the summit.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa have also landed.

In addition to foreign ministers of all the member countries who convened on Sunday to draft a resolution, Asian leaders include Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, among others.

Other leaders in attendance from Africa include Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, Libyan Presidential Council head Mohamed Al-Menfi, Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, President Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, Comoros’ President Azali Assoumani, Gambian Vice President Muhammad Jallow, and Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.

Kuwait’s Crown Prince, a representative of the Moroccan king, the UAE’s Vice President, and Oman’s Deputy PM will also be present at the summit.

[Posted 3:43 PM]

How did we get here?

Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Tuesday, targeting a residential complex in Doha where members of Hamas’ negotiating team were based.

The attack killed five Hamas members and a Qatari Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) officer, as well as left several other people in proximity to a gas station, several schools and embassies.

Israel’s actions drew widespread condemnation from around the globe, with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, vowing “legal measures”.

In an address following the attacks, Sheikh Mohammed said that Qatar had discussed Tuesday’s attacks with its “brotherly and sisterly countries”, hinting at joint measures against Israel.

Monday’s Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit is a part of the wider measures.

[Posted 3:10 PM]