Pope Leo: 'really serious' ramifications may result from Doha strike

Multiple global leaders released comments regarding an Israeli strike that targeted Hamas officials in Qatar.

Western leaders slammed the IDF's strike on the Qatari capital of Doha, whichtargeted senior Hamas officials during ceasefire negotiation meetings on Tuesday.

Pope Leo XIV expressed concern regarding the strike and its potential ramifications. In a spoken statement, he said,

"We do not know how things will go. It is really serious," and emphasized that international bodies “must continue working and insisting on peace."

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Gutteres, accused Israel of destroying efforts made towards reaching a permanent ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War with what he called a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar."

Additional actions on Israel's part would "directly imperil efforts to advance peace and security," according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the strikes as “unacceptable, whatever the reason.” Expressing his solidarity with Qatar, Macron reaffirmed that “under no circumstances should the war spread throughout the region.”

World leaders condemn Israeli strike on Qatar

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that Israel’s strike may trigger escalation and urged that the sole preventive measure against further violence "must be an immediate ceasefire, release of the hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the strike “heinous” and "evidence that Israel has adopted the spread of instability and terrorism in the region as official state policy” in a statement on X/Twitter. The statement called on the international community to “exert strong pressure to stop Israel’s attacks on Palestine and the region.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and the Spanish Foreign Ministry both released statements decrying the Doha strike as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.

The Chinese Embassy in Qatar issued a safety advisory in response to the strike. Chinese nationals in Qatar were warned to “reduce unnecessary outings and avoid going to high-risk areas," according to Reuters.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also condemned Israel's attacks on Doha, stating that Italy "remains opposed to any form of escalation that could lead to a further worsening of the crisis in the Middle East," and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reaffirmed Italy's solidarity with Qatar, saying that "diplomacy and dialogue remain the main road to a just and lasting solution" to the Israel-Hamas War.

Will Qatar continue brokering negotiations?

Qatar has offered a divided response on whether or not it will be further involved innegotiations between Hamas and Israel.

"Qatar has spared no efforts and will do everything it can to stop this war in Gaza, but for current talks, I do not think there's something valid right now after what we saw from today's attack," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said in a press conference.

However, a foreign ministry spokesperson said that "The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha."

Qatari officials had been mediating talks regarding a Gaza hostage deal and a ceasefire deal. The leader of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, was one of the main targets of the operation.