UPDATE 2 - UAE president visits Qatar, says Israeli attack on Doha threatens regional security, stability

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Betul Yilmaz and Mohammed Hamood Ali Al Ragawi

ISTANBUL (AA) – United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Wednesday that an Israeli strike on Doha jeopardizes security and stability in the region.

Sheikh Mohamed arrived in Doha for a “fraternal visit” on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli airstrike killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security personnel in Doha on Tuesday. He was personally welcomed by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the airport.

The two leaders discussed “the deeply rooted fraternal relations” between the UAE and Qatar, and the Israeli attack on Qatari territory, WAM said.

The UAE president reaffirmed his country’s “resolute solidarity with Qatar and its steadfast support for all measures taken to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its people.”

Israel’s “criminal attack constituted a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and of all international laws and norms,” he said, stressing that such actions threaten the region’s security, stability, and prospects for peace.

Sheikh Mohamed later left Doha after a short visit to Qatar and he was seen off by the Qatari emir.

The Israeli airstrike on Doha has drawn a wave of condemnations as a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law.

On Tuesday, Sheikh Mohamed denounced the Israeli attack as "a violation of the sovereignty of sisterly Qatar and all international laws and norms,” and affirmed the UAE's full solidarity with Qatar during a phone call with Sheikh Tamim.

Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, has been mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a potential prisoner swap and ceasefire deal.

Israel has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and pushed the territory’s population into famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.