Türkiye condemns Israeli strike on Hamas delegation in Qatar during ceasefire talks

By Fatma Zehra Solmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Tuesday condemned Israel's attack targeting the Hamas negotiation delegation in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Targeting the Hamas negotiation delegation while ceasefire talks are ongoing demonstrates that Israel’s aim is not to achieve peace, but to prolong the war, the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

The statement further emphasized: "With this attack, Qatar, serving as a mediator in the ceasefire negotiations, has now been added to the list of countries targeted by Israel in the region. This constitutes clear evidence of Israel’s expansionist policy in the region and its adoption of terrorism as a state policy."

"We stand with Qatar in the face of this heinous attack that targeted its sovereignty and security," the ministry said.

Türkiye once again calls upon the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its ongoing aggression in Palestine and the region, the statement stressed.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it attempted to assassinate senior Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, amid reports of several explosions in the city. A Hamas source told Al Jazeera that the strike occurred while a delegation was meeting to discuss a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza.