The attack generated a flurry of diplomacy between Arab states.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Qatar on Wednesday, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein is also expected to visit Qatar on Wednesday, while Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to arrive in Doha on Thursday, an official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The visits, which were not previously scheduled, were a show of regional solidarity with Qatar following the Israeli strikes, the official said.
The European Commission will propose sanctioning extremist Israeli ministers and the suspension of trade-related measures in a European Union agreement with Israel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The proposals reflect growing EU criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza and increased pressure on the bloc’s executive body to take action.
The Doha airstrike followed an Israeli warning to Palestinians to leave Gaza City, an area once home to about a million people, as it tries to destroy what is left of Hamas.
Residents there expressed alarm that the Doha strike might destroy chances for a ceasefire.
MISSILES HIT HIGH-RISE BUILDING
Families, some carrying their belongings on vehicles, donkey carts and rickshaws, continued to stream out of Gaza City along the coastal road in anticipation of a major Israeli offensive.
“Does this mean there is no hope a ceasefire can be reached? I am afraid that now Israel would speed up its occupation of Gaza City,” said Um Tamer, 65, a mother of five.
Israeli planes fired two missiles towards a 12-floor building in the city shortly after it warned those living inside to leave, but local health authorities said at least 15 people were killed among displaced families living in tent encampments around the building near the city’s beachfront.
At least 30 people have been killed across the enclave on Wednesday, according to medics.
The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza said they were fearful for the fate of their loved ones after the decision to launch strikes on the Hamas leadership in Qatar, just as a new ceasefire push was underway.
