KARACHI: Pakistan warned of “dangerous escalation” as the United Nations and a long line of countries on Tuesday denounced Israel’s attack on Qatar last week, demanding “accountability”.
On Sept 9, Israel targeted Hamas leaders gathered in Doha to discuss a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza. That strike “was a shocking breach of international law”, UN rights chief Volker Turk said during an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council about the strike.
Denouncing the attack as “an assault on regional peace and stability”, he urged “accountability for unlawful killings”.
His words were echoed by Qatar and dozens of country representatives who took the floor during the three-hour debate.
Qatari International Cooperation Minister Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad slammed Israel’s “treacherous attack” and demanded that the international community “take practical steps to hold the aggressors accountable and prevent their impunity”.
“This attack was not an isolated incident, but rather was part of a broader campaign aimed at distorting Qatar’s role and obstructing its diplomatic efforts,” she said.
Pakistan’s ambassador Bilal Ahmad warned that “this unjustifiable and unprovoked attack constitutes a dangerous escalation”.
China’s ambassador Chen Xu said his country “firmly rejects and categorically condemns” the September 9 attack, which he charged was “a deliberate attempt to derail the negotiation process”.
Some of the harshest criticism came from South Africa, which has brought a case against Israel before the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza.
The attack “strikes against the very heart of mediation processes”, ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi told the council, adding that it “demonstrates that Israel does not want to end its genocidal war against the Palestinian people”.
“It is time for the international community to demonstrate through practical countermeasures that Israel does not enjoy some form of special immunity from accountability.“
Neither Israel nor its main ally, the United States, which both disengaged from the council earlier this year, was present for the urgent debate.
Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2025