UNSC to hold emergency meeting Thursday on Israel’s strikes in Gaza, convened by Pakistan
The UN Security Council (SC) is set to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday in response to Israel’s strikes targeting Hamas officials in Qatar, a Persian Gulf Islamic country.
The meeting, scheduled for 3:00 pm in New York (Midnight Pakistan Standard Time), was requested by Pakistan, Algeria and Somalia.
Both Pakistan and Algeria strongly condemned the Israeli attack and expressed their solidarity with Qatar.
On Tuesday, Israel struck a residential building housing Hamas members as they were discussing the latest proposal presented by U.S. President Donald Trump over a Gaza truce.
The attack killed five lower-ranked members, including Humam, the son of chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya. Israel also killed Corporal Bader Al-Humaidi Al-Dosari, a member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), during the attack.
Reports pointed to Trump granting Israel the green light to carry out the attack, although the U.S. president said he was “not thrilled” about the move. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Israel had “independently” carried out the attack.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, slammed Netanyahu’s actions and described the attack as “state terrorism” against his country.
“The Israeli attack that took place today on Qatari soil can only be described as state terrorism practised by someone like Netanyahu,” Sheikh Mohammed told reporters during his first press conference since the attack.
Sheikh Mohammed said the assault sent a message “that there is a rogue actor in this region, engaging in ongoing political chaos and violating the sovereignty of nations”.
In a statement on social media platform X, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan had strongly condemned the “unprovoked airstrikes,” describing them as a “dangerous escalation” in an already volatile region.
“In response, Pakistan has requested, along with Algeria & Somalia, an Emergency #UNSC meeting to formally bring this matter before the Security Council, urging it to consider Israel’s aggression against Qatar as a grave threat to international peace and security,” Dar wrote.
The deputy premier said Islamabad has also called on the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and together with its Gulf Cooperation Council partners, to convene an urgent debate on the matter, “so that the Council can hold Israel accountable for its brazen attack on Doha.”
Dar said Pakistan had also welcomed Qatar’s decision to host an Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha on Sept. 15. He said Islamabad had formally conveyed to the OIC Secretariat of Pakistan’s readiness to co-sponsor and co-convene the summit for a united Arab-Islamic response to Israel’s “aggression.”
“Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the leadership, Government & brotherly people of Qatar,” he wrote. “The international community must collectively condemn Israel’s violation in the strongest terms.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack. He said that no other example exists of “such barbarity, cruelty and oppression.”
More than 64,600 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023.
Qatari officials denounced the strike as a “criminal attack” and a “flagrant violation” of international law that endangered the security of both Qatari citizens and foreign residents.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the assault was a “wholly independent Israeli operation” for which his government took “full responsibility.”
