Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed India’s grave concern on Wednesday about the rise in violence in Doha after an Israeli attack targeted top Hamas leaders living in the capital of Qatar. During a phone call with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of Qatar, Modi firmly denounced any infringement on the sovereignty of the “brotherly State of Qatar” and pledged support for the country’s leadership.
Instead of letting tensions escalate into a larger conflict, the Indian leader emphasized the importance of diplomacy and communication in resolving regional conflicts.
He reaffirmed India’s unwavering commitment to opposing terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations and emphasized support for peace and stability in West Asia, a region that is crucial to New Delhi’s strategic and economic interests.
The denunciation was made in the midst of a fast-moving scandal around claims that the US was aware of Israel’s air assault in Doha beforehand. During a news briefing, White House news Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump had instructed Special Envoy Witkoff to alert Qatar to Israel’s imminent military attack right away.
In order to show respect for Qatar, which she described as a close friend and ally of the United States, Leavitt asked that the outreach be conducted “promptly.”
Qatari officials, however, categorically denied this American claim. The spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Majed Al Ansari, publicly declared that Qatar was not notified beforehand of the incident.
He explained that residential neighborhoods had already been hit when the first American call was made during the Doha explosions. The profound mistrust ingrained in the precarious regional landscape has been highlighted by this divergence between Washington and Doha.
CNN reported that Israel’s attack targeted Hamas’s top leadership in Doha, where a number of negotiators had been stationed because Qatar acted as a mediator in efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel stated that several fighter jets, most likely US-made F-35I stealth aircraft that can avoid sophisticated radar systems, were employed in the raid. Although five Hamas members were killed, Israeli officials later admitted that the attempt to destroy the main Hamas negotiating team had failed.
Since the strike seems to have been intended to undermine Qatar’s diplomatic credibility as a mediator in larger Middle Eastern peace processes as well as to target military targets, this disclosure has increased regional worries.
In a forceful response, Qatar condemned the Israeli action as illegal and unstable. During a news conference, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani called Israel a “rogue player” in the Middle East and called the strikes “state terrorism.”
He further insisted that Qatar’s claim that there was no prior warning was confirmed by the fact that the US had just gotten in touch with Doha ten minutes after the bombings had taken place. Additionally, according to the Prime Minister, Israel used sophisticated stealth strike capabilities that allowed its planes to enter Qatari airspace covertly, creating fresh worries about how vulnerable the region’s air defenses are to cutting-edge aerial platforms.
In the already precarious political and security landscape of the Middle East, this incident represents a risky escalation. Long a center of international mediation, Qatar’s security is now directly jeopardized, and its function as an impartial mediator is called into question. The strategic benefit of cutting-edge US platforms and the challenges regional states have in defending their sovereignty are highlighted by Israel’s use of F-35I stealth fighters.
Meanwhile, the conflicting claims made by Washington and Doha about knowing about the strike could put further strain on the US-Qatari cooperation, which is already being questioned because of different stances on Hamas. Given the region’s importance for energy supplies, the security of the Indian diaspora, and maritime stability, the episode highlights the unpredictability of India’s wider neighborhood.
Modi’s quick outreach and diplomatic stance demonstrate New Delhi’s desire to appear as a resolute supporter of peace and communication during one of the Gulf’s worst security lapses in recent memory.