Qatar demands an official apology from Israel before resuming its mediation in Gaza negotiations

The American site "Axios" revealed today, Saturday, that Qatar has conditioned the provision of an official apology from Israel for the airstrike that was carried out in the Qatari capital, Doha, ten days ago, which resulted in the death of five members of Hamas and a Qatari security officer, before resuming its mediating role in the peace negotiations related to Gaza.

According to informed sources, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, raised this demand during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Doha, and it was later discussed in meetings that brought Rubio together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

Information indicates that Qatar may agree to an apology that focuses on the death of the Qatari officer, includes compensation for his family, and commitments not to violate Qatari sovereignty in the future, especially since this airstrike is the first of its kind carried out by Israel inside a Gulf state, which has exacerbated its regional isolation.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump sees Qatari mediation as essential to reach an agreement on the release of hostages and ending the war in Gaza, and is currently working to reduce tensions between Tel Aviv and Doha to ensure the resumption of negotiations.

U.S. envoy Witkoff is scheduled to meet on Saturday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in New York to discuss ways to end the crisis between the two countries.

It is worth noting that Israel has previously offered similar diplomatic apologies, the most notable of which was in 2013 when Netanyahu apologized to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the killing of Turkish activists during the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid.