Qatar demanding public apology from Israel for strike as condition to return to hostage mediation

Qatar is seeking a public apology from Israel for its strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar earlier this month, in order to agree to return to its role as a mediator in the hostage-ceasefire negotiations, Channel 12 News reported on Saturday evening. 

Qatar, which officially has no relations with Israel, has been functioning as a mediator between Israel and Hamas since the start of the Oct. 7 Iron Swords War. The country was involved in previous hostage releases, and has even hosted some of the talks, along with Egypt, who was the traditional mediator between Israel and Hamas before Qatar assumed the role.  

The role of Qatar in the mediation has been a divisive issue in Israel, as Qatar has been hosting Hamas leaders since 2012, and gave several million dollars in aid to the Gaza Strip  since 2014. 

Axios reported that the demand for a public apology by Israel was raised by Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as during discussions between Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in London last week. 

Following the strike in Doha, which killed five lower-level Hamas officials, as well as a Qatari security officer, Qatar announced it was suspending its role in the negotiations and began seeking an international response against Israel. 

The report from Channel 12 claims that Qatar is willing to show flexibility regarding the wording of the apology, as it realizes that such a move would be risky for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as most of his coalition partners do not trust Qatar, even as a mediator. 

Netanyahu had previously told Qatar to make a decision regarding the presence of Hamas leaders in its country. 

“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will,” Netanyahu said. 

The U.S. administration under President Donald Trump reportedly told Israel that progress in negotiations would be difficult without Qatar's involvement. According to Channel 12, the U.S. suggested holding a trilateral meeting in London last week. However, the Qatari delegation – already meeting with Witkoff – was reportedly unwilling to meet with Dermer.

Qatar hosts a large U.S. military base, and has been praised by American leaders as a “non-NATO ally.” Trump even gave a rare warning to Israel following the strike, saying Israel has to be “very, very careful” in dealing with Qatar. 

Channel 12 cited a “source familiar with the details,” who claimed that Qatar may be willing to accept an apology for the killing of the Qatari security officer, similar to how Prime Minister Netanyahu issued an apology in 2013 for the death of Turkish activists in the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla, along with a promise not to violate Qatar’s territorial sovereignty. 

Following the strike on the Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, the terror group put out a statement claiming that its leaders were meeting to discuss the recent U.S. proposal for a hostage deal, despite publicly stating its rejection of the deal just a couple days earlier. 

After Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that Israel would no longer agree to a partial hostage release, but would only discuss a comprehensive deal, Hamas announced it was willing to accept the previous hostage proposal, which called for the release of half of the remaining hostages. 

Hamas has claimed it is willing to end the war, however, it has also rejected Israel’s demands for a comprehensive deal, which include the immediate release of all remaining hostages, the disarmament and exile of Hamas leaders and commanders from Gaza, the demilitarization of the enclave, and the establishment of a new governing body which does not include members of Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. 

Reports in Hebrew media earlier in the summer indicated that Israel was interested in seeing an interim government with oversight by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during a period of reconstruction and rehabilitation expected to last around 10  years.