Doha says it will host an Arab-Islamic summit to formulate a coordinated regional response to Israel’s unprecedented airstrikes on Tuesday, which killed six people.
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Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "killed any hope" for the release of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza following air strikes on Doha on Tuesday.
The Qatari premier, speaking to US media outlets, said that the attacks, which Doha slammed as state terrorism, have angered the vast majority of the Arab world, including the Gulf states, who have come together in a united show of force to condemn Israel's actions.
"I was meeting one of the hostages' families the morning of the attack," said Al Thani in an interview with CNN.
"They are counting on this mediation. They have no other hope for that."
"What Netanyahu has done, he just killed any hope for those hostages," he added.
The Israeli air strike targeted the Hamas negotiating team in Doha as they prepared to convene with mediators to discuss a US ceasefire proposal to end the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, quickly approaching the two-year mark.
The blast killed six people. Hamas says its top leadership survived the attack, noting that five lower-level members were killed.
The group has in the past taken months to confirm the assassination of its leaders and following Tuesday's strike, offered no immediate proof of the survival of their senior figures.
A Qatari security officer was also killed in the attack.
A funeral was held on Thursday for the six victims at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque. Eyewitnesses say the mosque, capable of accommodating 30,000 worshippers, was at capacity.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, accompanied by top Qatari officials, was in attendance for the funeral prayers.
A host of regional leaders, including the United Arab Emirates' Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif descended to Doha on Wednesday in a show of solidarity with Qatar and to formulate a response to what is an unprecedented Israeli attack on the region.
Qatar says it will convene an emergency Arab-Islamic summit to discuss the strike, according to Qatar's national news agency. The two-day summit is set to take place in Doha on Sunday.
The announcement came as the United Nations Security Council opened an emergency session, which was delayed by a day to allow the Qatari premier to attend to discuss the threat of further escalation.
All 15 members of the Security Council, including the US, a key political, economic and defence ally of Qatar, condemned the Israeli aggression and expressed support for the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Qatar.
The council also endorsed a statement which called for the de-escalation of regional tensions, but did not explicitly mention Israel by name.