By Tass
Copyright tass
DOHA, September 15. /TASS/. Israel is not interested in releasing its hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani said.
“When they (the Israeli authorities – TASS) say that their objective is to release hostages, this is a false statement. The release of their own soldiers and civilians is not among their priorities. They view talks only as a tool of continuing the war by other means, a political practice accompanying combat operations, and an attempt to mislead public opinion in Israel,” he said at an extraordinary summit of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Doha.
According to the Qatari emir, Israel engages in indirect talks with Hamas under the pressure from society but it continues hostilities “to make Gaza unfit for living, having opened the path for displacing Palestinians.” “They don’t want their hostages to be released,” he emphasized.
The summit of Arab and Islamic countries was called in Doha on Monday following Israel’s strike on the Hamas residence in the Qatari capital city. The participating countries plan to agree on a coordinated position on this attack and discuss measures to retaliate Israel’s actions. Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said earlier that the leaders are expected to adopt a statement condemning attacks on the territory of mediating countries as unacceptable.
Israel delivered a series of strikes on senior Hamas officials in Doha on September 9. The Palestinian movement reported the death of six people, including a son of Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Khalil al-Hayya and a Qatari security officer. Reports about the death of senior Hamas officials have not been verified.
