Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, said on Wednesday that Hamas violated the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal when it attacked a group of Israeli soldiers on Tuesday, killing one of them.
“Yesterday’s event was honestly something that [was] very disappointing and frustrating for us to see that it’s happening, and we were trying to contain it, and we mobilized right away after this, and in full coordination with the United States, and we have seen that the U.S. also is committed to the deal,” al-Thani said at a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York City on Wednesday.
The Qatari prime minister firmly stated that the attack was “a violation by the Palestinian party,” although he came up short of accusing Hamas by name. He noted that Hamas claims rogue operatives in Gaza, or an entirely different militia group, might have perpetrated the attack, but said Hamas has made “conflicting statements” about the incident, so its claims cannot be verified.
“Fortunately I think the main parties — both of them — are acknowledging that the ceasefire should hold and they should stick to the agreement,” he said.
Al-Thani notably declined 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, the attack on Tuesday occurred in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in territory controlled by Israel. The attack reportedly began with sniper fire from “terrorists in the area” which killed one member of an IDF combat engineering team that was attempting to dismantle a terrorist tunnel, according to the BBC. The slain soldier was identified as 37-year-old Master Sgt. Efi Feldbaum, a combat engineering reservist, and father of five children.
The sniper fire was followed by several anti-tank missiles, which targeted an armored vehicle used by other Israeli forces in the area.
The IDF responded with strikes against “dozens of terror targets and terrorists” in Gaza, including up to 30 commanders of armed militant groups. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry claimed the strikes killed 104 people, including 46 children and 20 women.
The IDF said on Wednesday morning it has “begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire.”
“The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it,” the statement said.
President Donald Trump said the Israelis “hit back, and they should hit back when that happens.”
“They said they would be good, and if they’re good they’re going to be happy. And if they’re not good, they’re going to be terminated,” Trump said of Hamas.
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