JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday (Jan 25) accused Qatar, a key mediator in efforts to free its hostages, of being chargeable for the Oct 7 Hamas assault.
His feedback got here after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was caught on tape allegedly telling hostages’ households this week that Qatar’s mediation was “problematic” when it got here to resolving the hostage disaster.
Qatar is the “patron of Hamas and is essentially chargeable for the bloodbath dedicated by Hamas of Israeli residents”, Smotrich stated on X, previously Twitter.
“Qatar is a rustic that helps terrorism and funds terrorism.”
Smotrich accused Western governments of being “hypocritical” in sustaining shut relations with Doha.
“The West can and will exert a lot stronger leverage on it and produce in regards to the launch of the hostages instantly,” he stated.
“One factor is obvious: Qatar is not going to be concerned one bit in what occurs in Gaza the day after the struggle.”
Qatar and Egypt have acted as mediators within the battle because it erupted after the Hamas assault. In November, they helped dealer a week-long truce that noticed the discharge of 105 hostages, the Israelis amongst them in alternate for Palestinian prisoners.
Smotrich’s remarks come as US President Joe Biden’s Center East envoy Brett McGurk was within the area for talks geared toward brokering a brand new deal to free the remaining captives in alternate for a pause in combating.
A Palestinian supply accustomed to the talks stated a Hamas delegation had travelled to Cairo on Tuesday to fulfill Egypt’s intelligence chief and focus on new ceasefire proposals.
On Wednesday, Qatar stated it was “appalled” by the remarks attributed to Netanyahu.
“These remarks, if validated, are irresponsible and harmful to the efforts to avoid wasting harmless lives, however should not shocking,” Qatari overseas ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari stated on X.
The Hamas assault resulted within the deaths of round 1,140 folks in Israel, principally civilians, based on an AFP tally based mostly on Israeli figures.
The militants, who focused communities in southern Israel, additionally kidnapped about 250 hostages in the course of the assault.
Some 132 of them are nonetheless held captive in Gaza, together with 28 our bodies of hostages believed to have been killed, based on an AFP tally based mostly on figures supplied by Israeli officers.
