ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Doha on Thursday for a one-day visit to express solidarity after Israel’s strike on Qatar, a trip that has gained urgency as Doha weighs a collective regional response.
As Sharif departed for the Qatari capital on Thursday morning, his office said his meeting with the ruler of the Gulf nation would “include consultations on Israel’s unjustified attacks and continued aggression against various countries in the region, as well as discussions on the establishment of peace in the region.”
The comments and the visit follow remarks by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who condemned the strike as “state terror” and said Gulf and Arab states were consulting on a joint response, with an Arab-Islamic summit planned in Doha.
Pakistan has strongly condemned the attack, calling for respect for international law and the sovereignty of nations. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom would “will stand with the State of Qatar in all measures it takes, without limits, and we will harness all our capabilities for that.”
“In Doha, the Prime Minister will meet His Highness the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,” a statement from Sarif’s office said as he departed for the Qatari capital on Thursday morning.
“[Sharif] will express solidarity with the Emir of Qatar and the Qatari people in the context of Israel’s unjustified aggression against Doha and its blatant violation of international law.”
Israel’s raid on Tuesday killed at least six people, including a 22-year-old Qatari security guard, in what was the first direct Israeli strike on a Gulf nation. Israel said the target was Hamas leaders based in Doha, though the group confirmed its negotiators survived the attack.
Qatar has been a key mediator in ceasefire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, hosting the group’s political bureau while engaging closely with Washington and Cairo. The strike has raised fears the Gulf state could scale back or reconsider its mediation role, further complicating efforts to halt the Gaza war.
More than 64,600 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s campaign began in October 2023, according to the territory’s health authorities.
