Qatar warns Israel is exploiting U.S.-Iran war to ‘expand dominance’

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari urges the international community to hold Israel accountable as Israeli forces attack Gaza City and escalate operations in the occupied West Bank.Qatar has warned that Israel is using the wider regional escalation to create “new realities” across Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, Lebanon and Syria, and urged the international community to take concrete action to hold Israel accountable.Majed Al-Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), made the remarks during the ministry’s weekly press briefing on Tuesday.He described this as part of a broader Israeli policy of “dominance,” calling on countries, particularly those committed to peace, to pay closer attention to Israel’s actions and take “tangible measures” against the Israeli government.The comments come as Israel continues to escalate military operations and attacks on the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.“These actions cannot be justified in the light of the war on Gaza or the military escalation over the past few months,” Al-Ansari said during the press briefing.Fresh Israeli attacks on Gaza on Monday and Tuesday killed several Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, including children.At least 10 explosions were reportedly heard on Tuesday following Israeli drone strikes on the al-Kateeba district, according to Al Jazeera.These latest strikes come despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.Israeli forces have continued assaults on Gaza since the ceasefire, with Palestinian health officials saying more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged enclave since it took effect.Tuesday’s strikes followed reports of an Israeli operation targeting a senior Hamas figure.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said a senior Hamas member was captured during strikes on several targets in the Gaza Strip.The Jerusalem Post reported, citing an Israeli official, that the person captured was Hamas’ General Security chief, Mu’in al-Arabid.However, Palestinian sources in Gaza told AFP that the Israeli mission was thwarted and that Israeli forces withdrew.Hamas official Ismail al-Thawabta said Israeli forces were “exposed during the mission.”On Monday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem with a group of Israeli settlers.