The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has apologised to Qatar over an Israeli strike on Doha on 9 September that killed at least one Qatari citizen.
Mr Netanyahu apologised in a joint phone call with US President Donald Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani from the White House, according to US and Qatari official statements.
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“As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” the White House said in a statement.
“He further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”
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PREMIUM TIMES reported the Israeli attack on Doha, which world leaders condemned, including the Nigerian government.
Israel said then that the attack was targeted at Hamas leadership and that it would repeat such an attack if need be.
The attack on Qatar drew widespread criticism from against Israel, with many describing it as a blatant breach of the sovereign rights of the country.
After the attack, Qatar suspended its mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas toward the release of Israeli hostages and a ceasefire deal.
It also declared that it would not tolerate “this reckless Israeli behaviour and its continued tampering with regional security.”
Qatar has been a key mediator in ceasefire efforts in the Middle East and is the host of the US military’s most extensive base in the region.
The Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the call.
It stated that it was part of US efforts to address the repercussions of the Israeli aggression that targeted a residential neighbourhood in Doha.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Nigeria expresses ‘deep concern about Israeli airstrike in Qatar
“At the beginning of the call, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his gratitude to the US President for his efforts to achieve peace in the region, including guarantees to prevent a recurrence of aggression against the State of Qatar and the US commitment to its defense partnership with Qatar,” the ministry said.
On X, Mr Netanyahu’s official X account wrote, “Mr Prime Minister, I want you to know that Israel regrets that one of your citizens was killed in our strike.
“I want to assure you that Israel was targeting Hamas, not Qataris.”
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