European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she will seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the war in Gaza.
The 27-nation EU is deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and it’s unclear whether a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures.
Meanwhile, emergency personnel in Qatar dug through the rubble of an Israeli attack on Hamas’ political leaders who had gathered in the energy-rich Mideast nation to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The strike Tuesday on the territory of a U.S. ally drew widespread condemnation from several countries in the Mideast and beyond.
Hamas said in a statement that all of its leaders survived the attack but that five lower-ranked members were killed. Qatar said a member of its Internal Security Force died and others were wounded in the attack.
Here’s the latest:
Israel’s attack on Doha threatens negotiations
The Israeli attack on Hamas in Qatar threatens to upend negotiations over a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and Israel’s efforts to reach out to Gulf Arab states.
That’s according to an analysis Wednesday by the New York-based think tank The Soufan Center.
“The attack has profound strategic implications because by striking a Gulf Cooperation Council state, Israel risks undermining the Abraham Accords and unraveling the fragile normalization framework with Arab partners,” the center said, referring to the 2020 diplomatic recognition deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
“Israel’s strike on Qatar raises the uncomfortable question: if a state like Qatar, with its carefully cultivated neutrality and commitment to peacemaking, is punished for its role, who will dare step into the vacuum of mediation in the future?” the center asked.
Von der Leyen calls for a stop to the war in Gaza
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the events in Gaza and the suffering of children and families “has shaken the conscience of the world.”
“Man made famine can never be a weapon of war. For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity. This must stop,” she added, to applause in the European Parliament at its meeting in Strasbourg, France.
Von der Leyen added that the commission “will set up a Palestine donor group next month,” part of which will focus on Gaza’s future reconstruction.
Her words Wednesday represented a sharp turnaround in her thinking, as she’d previously been a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Qatari leader speaks with Trump
Qatar’s local media hewed tightly to government statements issued after Tuesday’s attack, which killed at least six people in a neighborhood in Doha home to foreign embassies and schools. Qatar is ruled by a hereditary emir and tightly restricts speech like other Gulf Arab nations.
Al Jazeera, the outspoken satellite news network funded by Qatar’s government, described the attack as a “brutal aggression” in its headlines.
Al Jazeera has been banned by the Israeli government from operating in Israel or the West Bank amid the Israel-Hamas war, though its journalists still broadcast from the Gaza Strip.
The state-run Qatar News Agency noted its ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, held a series of calls with world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Sheikh Tamim in the call condemned the attack “and held the Israeli entity responsible for its repercussions, in light of the policy of aggression they adopt that threatens the region’s stability and obstructs efforts to de-escalate and reach sustainable diplomatic solutions,” a readout of the call said.
Qatar Airways, a major East-West airline that operates out of the country’s massive Hamad International Airport, sought to assure passengers their flights were safe and would not be interrupted.
Israeli attack not detected by Qatar’s air defenses
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, said Tuesday night that “the Israeli enemy used weapons that were not detected by radar.” He did not elaborate.
However, that suggests Israeli fighter jets likely launched so-called “stand-off” missiles at a distance to strike the site without actually entering Qatari airspace — possible over the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. has said it warned Qatar before the strike. Qatar disputes that, with Sheikh Mohammed saying that “the Americans sent a message 10 minutes after the attacks took place saying they were informed that there was going to be a missile attack on the state of Qatar.”
Qatar maintains a major arsenal of air defense systems, including both American-made Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD batteries.
Qatar is also home to the U.S. military’s forward headquarters for its Mideast-based Central Command.
That base, at the sprawling Al Udeid Air Base, also has American-run radars and defense systems and recently hosted President Donald Trump on his tour of the region in May.
Japan condemns the attack
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Wednesday that his country “strongly condemns” Israel’s attack on Qatar as a move that interferes with the ongoing diplomatic efforts toward achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and to the release of hostages and further destabilizes the region.
“While we express our solidarity with Qatar, we strongly demand Israel immediately return to negotiation toward achieving a ceasefire and the release of hostages,” Hayashi said.
He also called on all related parties to refrain from actions that would destabilize the region, including terrorist attacks, and to de-escalate the situation.