Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has accused the international community of “turning their back” on the Palestinian people amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza while calling for a permanent ceasefire in the besieged enclave.
In his opening remarks at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Doha on Tuesday, the emir accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza, noting that the “crimes” of Israeli forces help “deepen the sentiment of injustice and an absence of international legitimacy”.
“It is a disgrace on the international community to allow this heinous crime to continue for more than two months – where the systematic and purposeful killing of innocent civilians continue, including women and children,” he said.
“Why is the international community turning their back on Palestinian children and adopting dual standards?”
Video Duration 09 minutes 18 seconds09:18Qatari emir: ‘This is a genocide committed by Israel’
Truce
A weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas, which collapsed on Friday, had been brokered by Qatar and other mediators to allow the release of captives taken by Hamas in October, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, often without charge.
Sheikh Tamim said that while his country was still working to renew a truce, it was not an “alternative to a permanent ceasefire”.
“We will continue to make effort with other regional and global players to have a permanent ceasefire established and all the aggression against the Palestinian people come to a halt,” he said.
Leaders of six Gulf countries – including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait – and Turkey are attending the summit in Doha.
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The war on Gaza is expected to take centre stage at the talks.
