Qatar Demands an Israeli Apology to Resume Mediation Efforts in Gaza

SadaNews - American Axios website reported on Saturday evening, September 20, 2025, that Qatar is seeking an apology from Israel for the strike it carried out in Doha before resuming its mediation in a peace agreement in Gaza.

Qatar has stepped back from its role as a mediator following the Israeli raid, and the Trump administration believes that without Qatari mediation, it will be very difficult to reach an agreement for the release of hostages and to end the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Qatar of harboring (terrorists) and claimed that Israel could strike again in the future.

The website stated: "An apology now would be a politically explosive shift for Netanyahu and his hard-right coalition, but a source familiar with the matter said the Qataris are aware of the political complexities in Israel and are willing to show flexibility regarding the language of acknowledging the mistake."

Five members of Hamas and a Qatari security officer were killed in the Israeli raid in Doha ten days ago, but all senior Hamas leaders survived.

This was the first time Israel conducted an air raid in one of the Gulf countries, significantly exacerbating Israel's regional isolation.

A senior Israeli official said that Israel underestimated the scale of the crisis that might be caused by attacking Qatar, adding that Netanyahu realizes he miscalculated.

The Trump administration is working to ease tensions between Israel and Qatar in order to resume negotiations in Gaza.

The sources said that the request for an apology came from the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and he raised the matter with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting on Tuesday in Doha.

A source familiar with the matter mentioned that the Qatari request was also raised in meetings between Rubio, Netanyahu, U.S. envoy Steve Wittkoff, and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

Wittkoff is scheduled to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani in New York on Saturday to discuss efforts to end the crisis between Israel and Qatar and allow negotiations to resume.

A source knowledgeable about the matter indicated that the Qataris might agree to an Israeli apology focused on the killing of the Qatari security officer and include promises to compensate his family and not to violate Qatari sovereignty again.

Israel has made similar apologies in the past. In 2013, Netanyahu apologized to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the killing of Turkish activists in the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid.