United Arab Emirates condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "hostile remarks" against Qatar, adding that any attack on a Gulf state is an attack on the Gulf's "joined security system," UAE official Afra Al Hameli said today.
Yesterday, Mr Netanyahu warned Qatar to either expel Hamas officials or "bring them to justice, because if you don't, we will".
Mr Netanyahu's warning came a day after Israel attempted to kill Hamas political leaders in an airstrike on Doha, escalating its military campaign in the Middle East and prompting a flurry of international condemnations.
Meanwhile, Hamas said the Israeli attack was aimed at killing off Gaza ceasefire talks and accused the United States of being an "accomplice".
"This crime was ... an assassination of the entire negotiation process," Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said during a televised press conference.
"We affirm that the US administration is a full accomplice in this crime," he added.
His comments come as the funerals for six people killed in the strike took place in a Doha mosque today amid tight security as the Gulf state's ruler joined mourners.
One coffin bearing a Qatari flag and five others bearing Palestinian flags were brought to the mosque, live footage from Qatar television showed.
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Facing the coffins, the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, prayed alongside dozens of mourners, some wearing traditional white robes, others wearing military uniform.
The interior ministry said the dead would be buried in the Mesaimeer Cemetery after the funeral at Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque.
Authorities beefed up security, with checkpoints on access roads to the mosque.
Hamas said its top officials survived the strikes on Tuesday.
Hamas said five of its members were killed: top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya's son Hamam; his office director Jihad Labad; and bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk, Abdallah Abdelwahd and Mumen Hassoun.
Qatari Lance Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari was also killed.
In an interview with CNN yesterday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he could not confirm Mr Hayya's fate.
The Hamas chief negotiator was not seen at the funeral, in the footage viewed by AFP.
Sheikh Mohammed said the Israeli attack had killed any hope for Israeli hostages in Gaza, adding that Qatar was reevaluating "everything" surrounding its role as mediator in ceasefire talks.
Doha has been a venue for several rounds of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
The emirate allowed Hamas to set up a political office in Doha in 2012 with the blessing of the United States, which has sought to maintain a communication channel with the group.
Sheikh Mohammed said he hoped for a collective regional response to the attack and that an Arab-Islamic summit would be held in Doha to decide on a course of action.
The first Israeli strikes in the Gulf sent shockwaves through a region long shielded from conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East and drew international condemnation.
Former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried in Qatar after his assassination in Iran in July 2024 in an attack attributed to Israel.
