Netanyahu 'killed any hope' for captives after strike: Qatar PM to CNN
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Qatar’s prime minister calls for a “collective response” to the Israeli strike on Doha, accusing Netanyahu of undermining peace efforts and endangering captives.
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Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani addresses the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, July 28, 2025. (AP)
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said his country is seeking a “collective response” from regional allies to the recent Israeli aggression targeting Hamas officials in the Qatari capital, Doha.
In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson on Wednesday, Al Thani said consultations are underway with regional partners and that an Arab-Islamic summit will be held in Doha in the coming days to determine a coordinated course of action.
“There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners,” he said.
“There is a collective response that should happen from the region. We are hoping for something meaningful that deters Israel from continuing this bullying.”
'Strike undermines any chance of peace'
Al Thani accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately undermining prospects for peace by ordering the attack in Qatar’s capital.
“Netanyahu is trying to undermine any chance of stability, any chance of peace,” Al Thani said.
Moreover, Qatar's prime minister said his country was reviewing its involvement as a mediator in the Gaza truce talks, following the unprecedented strike.
"I've been rethinking, even about the entire process for the last few weeks, that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu was just wasting our time," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told CNN.
Doha is "reassessing everything" around its involvement in future ceasefire talks and discussing next steps with Washington, he added.
Al Thani further explained that his meetings with Hamas officials were part of Qatar’s long-established role as a mediator in the Middle East war, known both to "Israel" and the United States.
“Everything about the meeting is very well known to the Israelis and the Americans. It’s not something that we are hiding. There’s no justification that this is considered harboring terrorism.”
Netanyahu 'killed any hope' for captives
In this context, Al Thani accused Netanyahu of endangering the lives of captives still held in Gaza, saying the strike may have eliminated any realistic chance of their release.
“I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday — he just killed any hope for those hostages,” he said.
Netanyahu 'needs to be brought to justice'
The families are "counting on this (ceasefire) mediation. They have no other hope for that," he said.
Pointing to the indictment against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court, Al Thani said, "He needs to be brought to justice."
The remarks underscore escalating regional tensions as Qatar and its allies weigh potential responses to the Israeli strike, with broader implications for both regional stability and ongoing mediation efforts in Gaza.
Israeli Channel 13 quoted the captives’ families’ headquarters as saying, “The possibility of recovering the captives now faces more uncertainty than ever before, with great concern over the price that may have to be paid.”
In a fierce rebuke aired by Channel 12, Einav Zangauker, the mother of captive Metan Zangauker, directly accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of endangering her son’s life. “Netanyahu may have decided my son Metan’s fate: death. Whoever deliberately puts my son’s life at risk, I will kill him,” she declared.
