Carney condemns Israeli airstrikes on Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his foreign affairs minister Anita Anand have condemned Israel after the Jewish state bombed Hamas leadership operating in Qatar.

Source: Facebook

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his foreign affairs minister Anita Anand have condemned Israel after the Jewish state bombed Hamas leadership operating in Qatar.

Carney released a statement Tuesday condemning the airstrikes, calling it “an intolerable expansion” of violence and an “affront to Qatar’s sovereignty.”

“Regardless of their objectives, such attacks pose a grave risk of escalating conflict throughout the region, and directly imperil efforts to advance peace & security, secure the release of all hostages, and achieve a lasting ceasefire — efforts in which Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani plays a highly constructive role,” Carney said on X.

Similarly, Anand posted on X that the Israeli Defence Forces’ strike in Qatar violated the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The Middle East faces serious challenges, and sustainable peace and security must be prioritized over any actions that could lead to a broader conflict in the region,” Anand said in the statement. “Qatar’s sovereignty must be respected, and international law must be upheld.”

Anand said Hamas must immediately release all hostages and disarm, but defeating the group and achieving peace in the region requires “respect for international law, sovereignty and the protection of civilians.”

According to Israeli media reporters, the airstrikes carried out by the Israeli air force killed Mashal, along with at least three other senior Hamas officials. The strikes took place after Hamas took responsibility for a mass shooting which killed six Israeli commuters in Jerusalem on Monday.

Qatar, along with the U.S. and Egypt, has been involved in peace talks between Israel and Palestinian groups since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli citizens.

“Canada fully supports Qatar’s leadership in these efforts,” Anand said in the post. “Today’s attacks undermine critical negotiations; Canada calls for a return to negotiations to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”

Rich Robertson, research and advocacy director at B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group, told True North in an interview that Canadian leaders’ statements Tuesday were “void” of any mention that the attack was on terrorist leaders hosted in Qatar, not Qatar itself.

“Qatar has been housing, enabling and propagating Hamas for since before October 7 and as a result, it’s important that our leaders recognize that Israel’s actions today were not designed to violate Qatar’s sovereignty,” Robertson told True North. “They were part of Israel’s concerted effort to mitigate the threat posed to its existence by Hamas, which is a listed terrorist entity here in Canada.”

As part of a U.S. agreement, Qatar has hosted Hamas leadership in their country since 2012. After Hamas refused a ceasefire deal and hostage return in November 2024, the U.S. called on Qatar to expel Hamas leadership, stating that providing a haven was “no longer acceptable.” At the time, Qatar remained quiet on whether it would expel Hamas leadership. Hamas officials claimed the Qatari government did not tell them to leave.

“Qatar has continued to provide assistance to Hamas, Ishmael Henyah, was at one point living in Qatar,” Robertson said. “Hamas leadership have routinely relied on Qatar to provide them with a safe haven.”

In 2012, following the Arab Spring, Qatar began hosting Hamas leadership, including Khaled Mashal, head of the political bureau. Mashal had been expelled by Bashar al-Assad’s Syria for supporting the local Muslim Brotherhood proxy during Syria’s civil war.

Robertson said Canadian leadership does a “disservice” to Canada’s efforts to combat terror globally when its statements “fail” to recognize Qatar’s role in enabling the terrorist entity.

Dr. Majed Al Ansari, Qatar’s prime minister and official spokesperson for the Gulf country’s foreign affairs ministry, condemned Israel’s strikes and said they were only informed about it as bombs began to fall in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Canadian-Muslim activist groups, such as the National Council of Canadian Muslims, applauded Carney’s condemnation of Israel’s strikes and called for the Liberal government to “commit to action” against the Jewish state.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs released its own statement saying Hamas’ leadership has repeatedly refused ceasefire proposals and to return Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023.
“Hamas is the main obstacle to achieving a ceasefire-hostage agreement,” CIJA said in a post. “Canada must work with allies to hold Hamas’ state sponsors and enablers accountable, and ensure that pressure is directed at Hamas—not Israel—for blocking peace.”