India issued a sharp rebuke against the recent Israeli strikes in Qatar — stressing the need for dialogue and diplomacy. The remarks were made even as Israel unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City and ramped up its intense bombardment of the narrow Strip. Tel Aviv has sparked global outrage in recent months after launching attacks against at least six different countries in the Middle East.
“India firmly believes that differences must be resolved peacefully through dialogue and diplomacy in full conformity with the principles of the UN Charter and international law…India is deeply concerned about the recent attacks in Doha and its impact on the security situation in the region. We unequivocally condemn the violation of the sovereignty of Qatar. Such actions threaten peace, stability and security not only in the region but across the world,” reports quoted Arindam Bagchi as saying.
The Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations also reiterated calls for differences to be “resolved peacefully through dialogue and diplomacy”. He also insisted that New Delhi stood firmly in support of peace and stability in the region “and against terrorism” in any form. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also condemned the recent Israeli attacks in Doha last week — calling it a violation of Qatari sovereignty. The rare criticism came after he spoke to the Emir of Qatar on the phone and voiced “deep concern” about the incident.
Why did Israel strike Qatar?
Israel had attempted to kill Hamas leaders visiting Doha for ceasefire negotiations last week — marking a dramatic escalation in the region. The attack left at least six people dead and risked upending talks to end the Gaza war and free hostages still held by the militant group. Strikes within the territory of a US ally had also drawn widespread condemnation from countries in the Middle East, Europe and beyond. Tel Aviv has insisted that its strikes were justified while the US called it an unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests.
The White House said it was alerted by Israel before the attack — but sought to distance itself from the incident. President Donald Trump called it an “unfortunate incident” while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the POTUS spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “made his thoughts and concerns very clear.” Trump also said that he considered hitting Hamas a worthy goal, but felt bad that the attack took place in the Gulf Arab state.
Israel says ‘Gaza is burning’ as it launches ground assault
Israel Defence Forces officials said ground troops were moving deeper into the main city on Tuesday — with the number of soldiers expected to rise in the coming days. The IDF claims up to 3,000 Hamas combatants still remain in the city. The Israeli government defied European leaders threatening sanctions and warnings from even some of its own military commanders that it could be a costly mistake. US President Donald Trump has however sided with Tel Aviv — telling reporters at the White House that Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it used hostages as human shields during the assault.
“Gaza is burning. The IDF strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and IDF soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X.
n the latest expression of international alarm, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel called the assessment “scandalous” and “fake”.