Geneva, September 16, 2025: The United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk on Tuesday condemned Israel’s Sept. 9 strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha, calling it “a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow to the integrity of mediation processes worldwide.”
Speaking at an urgent debate of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk said the attack violated “the right to life under international human rights law, and the principles of international humanitarian law.” He stressed that targeting parties engaged in mediation undermined Qatar’s role as a key peace broker.
“It is an attack on global efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully,” he warned, while also pointing to Israel’s new displacement order for one million people in Gaza City and the approval of the E1 settlement project near East Jerusalem, which he said was pushing the two-state solution “closer to a point of no return.”
Türk urged member states to halt the transfer of arms to Israel that risk being used in violation of the laws of war. “Member states cannot wait any longer,” he said.
EU envoy Deike Potzel voiced solidarity with Qatar, calling it “a strategic partner” alongside Egypt and the U.S. in mediating the Gaza conflict. She urged all parties to avoid actions that jeopardize mediation channels and reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to the two-state solution.
“Our focus must remain on reaching a ceasefire, ensuring the release of all hostages, and guaranteeing unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza,” Potzel said.
Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Qatar’s minister of state for international cooperation, said the Israeli strike was “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and amounted to “state terrorism and a direct threat to regional and international peace and security.”
She stressed that the attack was “part of a broader campaign” to distort and obstruct Qatar’s diplomatic efforts, but reaffirmed her country’s commitment to mediation and peace.
Türkiye’s representative Burak Akçapar declared “staunch solidarity with Qatar,” calling the attack “another clear evidence of Israel’s expansionist policies and its adoption of terrorism as a state policy.”
He warned that Israel’s policies were destabilizing not only Palestine but also Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Tunisia, and now Qatar — a mediator state. “Mediators must be aided, not bombed,” he said, urging urgent international action to end Israel’s impunity.
