Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said on Wednesday that Hamas violated the terms of the Gaza ceasefire when it attacked a group of Israeli soldiers on Tuesday, killing one of them.
“Yesterday’s event was honestly something that [was] It is very offensive and unpleasant for us to see this happening, and we tried to contain it, and we mobilized immediately after this, and in full coordination with the United States, and we saw that the United States is also committed to the deal,” al-Thani said at a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York on Wednesday.
Qatar's prime minister firmly said the attack was a “Palestinian violation,” although he failed to blame Hamas by name. He noted that the Hamas attack could have been carried out by rogue militants in the Gaza Strip or an entirely different militia group, but noted that Hamas had made “conflicting statements” about the incident so its claims could not be verified.
“Fortunately, I think the main parties – both – recognize that the ceasefire must hold and they must stick to the agreement,” he said.
Al-Thani, in particular, refused to accuse Israel of violating the ceasefire by launching airstrikes in response to the ambush of its forces.
According to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials, Tuesday's attack happened in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, territory controlled by Israel. The attack began with sniper fire from “terrorists in the area,” which killed one member of an IDF bomb squad attempting to dismantle the terrorist tunnel, the BBC reported. The dead soldier was identified as 37-year-old Staff Sgt. Efi Feldbaum, military engineer reservist, father of five children.
The sniper fire was followed by several anti-tank missiles aimed at an armored vehicle used by other Israeli forces in the area.
The IDF responded by striking “dozens of terrorist targets and terrorists” in Gaza, including 30 commanders of armed groups. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip Health Ministry said the strikes killed 104 people, including 46 children and 20 women.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday morning that it had “begun to resume the ceasefire.”
“The IDF will continue to respect the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation,” the statement said.
President Donald Trump said The Israelis “will strike back, and they must strike back when they do.”
“They said they would be good, and if they were good, they would be happy. And if they were not good, they would be destroyed,” Trump said of Hamas.
