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A Tuesday strike at the heart of Doha, capital of Turkish ally Qatar, drew Ankara’s condemnation. Türkiye views this blatant attack by Israel in broad daylight as the latest display of the Netanyahu administration’s reckless aggression spilling over the wider region.
The attack targeted a Hamas negotiating delegation and claimed the lives of the son of a Hamas official and his office director.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed Israel’s strike and possible joint steps in response to it with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said Tuesday.
During the call, Erdoğan condemned the Israeli attack, which he said was aimed at deepening conflict, tension and instability in the region while openly violating the sovereignty of Qatar, a close friend and ally of Türkiye.
The president offered condolences for those killed in what Ankara described as a heinous assault, stressing that Türkiye would stand by the Qatari state and people with all its means. Both leaders agreed to continue working together to stop what Erdoğan called the ongoing massacre in Gaza, where Israel’s brutal campaign has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated civilian life since October 2023.
Türkiye has consistently voiced solidarity with Palestine and Qatar, underscoring that Israel’s aggression represents state terrorism and expansionism, and calling for urgent international action to halt Tel Aviv’s violations of international law.
The Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the attack, saying that it proves Tel Aviv has adopted expansionism and terrorism as state policy. “The targeting of the Hamas negotiating team while cease-fire talks continue shows that Israel’s aim is not to reach peace but to sustain the war,” a statement by the ministry on Tuesday said. Ankara added that with the strike, Qatar – a key mediator in the truce talks – has now been added to the list of countries targeted by Israel in the region. “This is clear evidence that Israel has adopted expansionism and terrorism as a state policy,” it said. Reaffirming solidarity with Doha, Türkiye said it stands by Qatar “in the face of this vile attack against its sovereignty and security.” Türkiye once again urged the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its ongoing aggression in Palestine and the wider region.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz called on international institutions and responsible nations to take action. “The Netanyahu administration, which is being tried for genocide, continues to add new unlawful actions to its record,” Yılmaz said in a statement on social media. “Israel’s attack in Doha, the capital of Qatar, is a clear violation of international law. We strongly condemn and denounce this attack, which threatens the security of our friendly and brotherly Qatar, a country that always prioritizes peaceful solutions and diplomacy,” he said.
Ankara and Doha enjoy strong relations, particularly since the 2017 blockade of the Gulf country by Saudi Arabia and others. The two countries have strengthened military and economic ties in recent years.
Türkiye is a prominent supporter of the Palestinian cause and hosted several Hamas members in the past, including late leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed by an Israeli attack in Iran in August 2024. Qatar has been the main host for negotiations between Hamas and Israel since the new round of conflict began between the Palestinian resistance movement and Israel in 2023. Negotiations, however, yielded little result while Israel’s genocidal attacks claimed more than 64,000 lives in Gaza, mostly women and children.
Israeli threat
Türkiye is on alert against Israel’s expansionist aggression in the region that first targeted Lebanon and then spilled over into Türkiye’s southern neighbor, Syria. Viewed as a safe destination for Palestinians, Türkiye has also faced Israeli plots to target Palestinians living in the country by Mossad. Since 2023, it dismantled several plots by Mossad to track down Palestinians and suspected assassination attempts. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would act against its enemies everywhere. “There is no place where they can hide,” Katz wrote on X on Wednesday.
Before his statement, several pro-Israeli social media accounts urged the Netanyahu administration to target Türkiye next in its fight against Hamas. Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon adviser known for his staunchly anti-Turkish articles published in several publications, was also quick to suggest Israel may strike Türkiye next. In an article published online on Tuesday, Rubin claimed that although Türkiye was a member of NATO, Israel can justify its potential attack as a legitimate self-defense against “a state sponsor of terror.”
