Qatar deplores Hamas chief's assassination at OIC meeting in Jeddah

Qatar participated in the extraordinary open-ended meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)s Executive Committee at the level of Foreign Ministers to discuss the ongoing crimes of the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people and their assaults on the sovereignty of Iran, held in Jeddah on Wednesday.HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi chaired Qatar's delegation to the meeting. Delivering Qatar's statement before the meeting, Dr al-Hammadi said this convention came in an extremely perilous time with a tragic juncture due to the ongoing brutal war being launched by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, along with its dangerous consequences on the region.He added that the situation in Gaza is a harsh reminder of the importance of finding a just, durable and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian cause to stop the bloodshed, pointing out that the international community continues its failure to shoulder legal and moral responsibilities to take further action to halt the war crimes and mass murders.Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi emphasised that Qatar reiterates its steadfast position on rejecting all forms of violence and targeting innocent civilians and renews its condemnation of collective punishment and forced displacement imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the Gaza residents, along with the unlawful attacks committed in the name of self-defense, which are still raging for more than 300 days, stressing that Israel persists in its indifference by not recognizing the simplest humanitarian, legal and moral rules.He added that Qatar condemns, in strongest terms, the assassination of chief of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine (Hamas), Dr Ismail Haniyeh, in the Iranian capital Tehran, confirming that it was a heinous crime, dangerous escalation that unequivocally violated the international law and international humanitarian law, flagrantly assaulted the states' sovereignty and underestimated all humanitarian and moral values and international charters.HE al-Hammadi pointed out that this atrocious crime and the Israeli behaviour, which shows disregard for constantly targeting civilians, is nothing but an attempt to disrupt ceasefire negotiations, with the aim of perpetuating the plight of the Palestinian people, reiterating Qatar's unwavering position on rejecting violence, terrorism and criminal acts, including political assassinations, whatever the motives and reasons are.He reiterated the condolences of Qatar, both its leadership and people, to the family of chief of the political bureau of Hamas and his personal attendant, as well as to the State of Palestine and its brotherly people, pointing out that Qatar utterly rejects infringing upon the sanctity of states' sovereignty and using force against states whatever the motives and reasons are.He confirmed that these acts constitute a flagrant breach of the UN charter, and consequently lead the region plunging into the cycle of anarchy, undermining chances of peace, and risk the ignition of confrontation in the region, thus leading to dire security consequences and countless humanitarian suffering.Dr al-Hammadi called on the international community and the international influential powers to uphold their responsibilities in putting an end to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, in accordance with the international humanitarian law, the UN General Assembly's resolutions and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, as well as the provisional orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop this perilous escalation in the Middle East, in addition to taking essential measures to halt the recurrent Israeli assaults and breaching states' sovereignty.He affirmed that Qatar will continue to back regional and global de-escalation efforts, stopping the bloodshed and protecting the civilians, highlighting that it exerts entire efforts to reach a framework agreement that paves the way for a humanitarian pause to end the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, along with the immediate action to stop the brutal aggression and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories, and the policies of killing, extremism, and abuse practiced against the defenseless Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.Upon concluding the statement, Dr al-Hammadi underscored Qatar's enduring solidarity to stand by the Palestinian brothers in their struggle for regaining their legitimate rights and establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.