NEW YORK — Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Wednesday that Hamas violated the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire when its fighters killed an Israeli reservist in Rafah. Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, al-Thani called the attack “very disappointing and frustrating,” saying it risked unraveling fragile peace efforts.
On Tuesday, Hamas-linked gunmen opened fire on IDF troops in Rafah, killing Master Sgt. (res.) Yona Efraim Feldbaum and later launching RPGs at Israeli forces. Israel responded with airstrikes across Gaza, killing over 100 people, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
“What happened yesterday was a violation,” al-Thani said, adding that both Israel and Hamas later reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire. He noted that Hamas issued “conflicting statements,” first claiming the attackers lost communication with its leadership, then suggesting they belonged to another faction.
The Qatari leader, a key mediator in the conflict, said the focus now is preventing the agreement’s collapse and pushing forward with the next phase of President Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which includes the disarmament of Hamas.
“It will be a complicated process,” al-Thani acknowledged. “But disarmament is essential for both Palestinians and Israelis to feel safe.”
Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s top leadership, has been central to ceasefire mediation since the group’s October 7, 2023, massacre that triggered the war. Al-Thani also referenced Israel’s strike in Doha last month that killed a Qatari guard — an incident he called “a game-changer for the region.”
