Qatar says Israeli strike 'killed any hope' for Gaza hostages' release

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” of releasing hostages still held in the Gaza Strip after Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar’s prime minister said ahead of his appearance at the United Nations on Thursday.

- By Jon GAMBRELL, ABDEL KAREEM HANA AND WAFAA SHURAFA

Amiri Diwan of the State of Qatar MOURNERS attend the funeral Thursday for six people killed in an Israeli strike Tuesday in Doha, Qatar.

The comments from Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani underscored the wider anger among Persian Gulf Arab countries over Tuesday’s strike that killed at least six people.

“I was meeting one of the hostages’ families the morning of the attack,” Mohammed told CNN in an interview that aired late Wednesday. “They are counting on this [ceasefire] mediation. They have no other hope for that.”

He added: “I think that what Netanyahu has done [Tuesday], he just killed any hope for those hostages.”

Mohammed was expected to attend a U.N. Security Council meeting later Thursday, part of a diplomatic push by Qatar after the strike. Qatar also said it was organizing an Arab-Islamic summit next week in Doha to discuss the attack.

The Security Council has expressed “deep concern” over the strike without mentioning Israel and emphasized “deescalation.” It also conveyed its solidarity with Qatar and the “vital role” the country played in mediating peace efforts in recent years.

The attack on the territory of a U.S. ally alarmed countries in the Mideast and beyond and risked upending talks aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages still held by the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Sheikh Mohammed's remarks came as thousands of Palestinians continued to flee Gaza City ahead of Israel’s offensive there. The numbers leaving the city have grown in recent days, though many have refused because they say they no longer have the strength or money to relocate.

The operation is aimed at taking over the largest Palestinian city, which is already devastated from earlier raids and experiencing famine. The offensive, in its early stages, has deepened Israel’s already unprecedented global isolation, which intensified further this week after the strike in Qatar.