EU suspends Israel payments over Gaza

Qatar has responded to comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing the Gulf nation of hosting terrorists.

Netanyahu suggested Israel's strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar on Tuesday was justified in the same way the US strike on al-Qaida was justified after September 11.

In the statement, Qatar stressed it has hosted a Hamas office since 2012 on the behest of the United States and Israel.

"Netanyahu's insinuation that Qatar secretly harbored the Hamas delegation is a desperate attempt to justify a crime condemned by the entire world," the statement said.

"The false comparison to the pursuit of al-Qaida after the [September 11] terrorist attacks is a new, miserable justification for its treacherous practices," the statement said.

Qatar to reassess its mediation role in Gaza ceasefire talks

Meanwhile, Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said his country is "reassessing everything" around his country's role in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

"I've been rethinking, even about the entire process for the last few weeks, that Netanyahu was just wasting our time," Sheikh Mohammed told CNN on Wednesday.

This marks an about-face from Tuesday immediately after the attacks, when he said that nothing would "deter" Qatar from continuing its mediation role.

In the CNN interview, Sheikh Mohammed also said he believes Israel's strike on Doha "killed any hope" for the hostages remaining in Gaza.

The Houthi-run health ministry has revised the death toll upward after an Israeli strike on Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

The Iran-backed rebels said the attack killed 35 people and wounded more than 130.

"Civil defense teams continue working to remove rubble and search for victims in neighborhoods and sites targeted by the Israeli enemy," the statement said.

The Houthis also confirmed that their media operation in Sanaa.

Israel's military carried out the strikes just days after Houthi rebels launched a drone attack that struck an Israeli airport.

Canada is reassessing its relationship with Israel in the wake of the attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar.

"We are evaluating the relationship with Israel," Foreign Minister Anita Anand said.

She added Canada considered the attack to be "unacceptable."

Asked specifically whether Canada was considering any kinds of sanctions against Israel, she replied: "We will continue to evaluate our next steps."

In June, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada would recognize Palestinian statehood at the now ongoing UN General Assembly, which angered Israel.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said nine people were killed and 118 were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen.

The Israeli military said it had struck military camps, the headquarters of the Houthi military "propaganda" department, and a fuel storage site.

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said rebels fired surface-to-air missiles at the Israeli fighter jets.

Israel's military confirmed it carried out strikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

"The IDF struck military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in the areas of Sanaa and Al Jawf in Yemen," the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement.

It said the air strikes were in response to "repeated attacks" by the Iranian backed rebels.

The Yemeni capital, Sanaa, has come under fire from Israel, Houthi rebels said.

There was no immediate confirmation from Israeli officials, but the strikes follow several missile launches toward Israel by the Iranian-backed rebels in recent days.

The extent of the damage or whether there were casualties was not immediately clear.

Members of the European Parliament here in Strasbourg have been telling me they’re relieved President von der Leyen is now taking a firmer line on Israel.

"Finally, something is moving" said Sandro Gozi, a liberal MEP, formerly Italy’s minister for European Affairs.

The weight of support for Gaza in the European Parliament was clear across many political parties during von der Leyen's annual "State of the European Union'" speech. A large swath of members were wearing red jumpers or shirts to signify a "red line for Gaza." 

Much of the discussion here at Parliament following the speech is centering around how the proposals the European Commission is set to make will get support in the EU’s governments.

All 27 EU countries would have to agree on a suspension of the EU-Israel Association agreement, which underpins the trading relationship — that’s not likely to happen with Hungary, and potentially Germany, using a veto.

The co-leader of the European Green Party, Bas Eickhout, told me on the sidelines that he thinks what President von der Leyen has put forward are "modest proposals."

"But compared to where she comes from, it's certainly a step," said the Dutch MEP. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed suspending financial support for Israel and sanctioning "extremist" Israeli ministers (see earlier), but acknowledged that not all European Union member states will be on the same page.

"You know our basic stance on the Israeli state, and nothing has changed," a German government spokesperson told journalists during a regular press conference in Berlin on Wednesday — a reiteration of fundamental German support for Israel.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the government has "taken note" of the EU proposals and will engage in "dialogue" with other member states.

"The Commission president made clear she will seek dialogue with member states on details of her proposals," he said. "We are waiting for that. We will of course participate in this dialogue and we are already engaged in ongoing dialogue on appropriate measures within the framework of the EU."

The head of Germany's opposition Green Party, however, was more emphatic.

"The suspension of bilateral funding – with the exception of support for civil initiatives and [Holocaust museum] Yad Vashem – is the right step to increase pressure on the Israeli government without endangering important cooperation with civil society in Israel," Franziska Branter told the dpa news agency.

"The German government must not block joint European action and must pave the away for the suspension of trade agreements as well as sanctions against extremist ministers and violent settlers."

Earlier on Wednesday, and prior to von der Leyen's announcement, Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), the junior party in the governing coalition led by the conservative CDU, also criticized the Israeli strike on Qatar, saying it undermined ceasefire negotiations.

"The negotiations were clearly close to a breakthrough," SPD foreign policy spokesman Adis Ahmetovic told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. "Israel's attack on Hamas officials in Doha endangers not only the chances of a ceasefire but also the efforts to free the remaining Israeli hostages and alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation for Palestinians in Gaza."

Ahmetovic claimed the German government was increasingly at risk of international isolation, saying: "The Israeli attack undermines the vital mediation efforts of the international community. The German government has repeatedly emphasized the importance of de-escalation and diplomacy. This must also apply to Israel."

The Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, has described the Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday as "an act of state terrorism carried out under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu" and a "violation of sovereignty."

Describing the attack as a "treacherous operation," Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar's foreign minister, said: "The State of Qatar reserves the right to respond to the Israeli assault and will act firmly against any reckless breach or aggression that threatens its security and regional stability."

Qatar's own advanced air defense systems, which include US-made Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, don't appear to have engaged with the incoming Israeli missile.

"The Israeli enemy used weapons that were not detected by radar," explained Sheikh Mohammed.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called remarks by Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday morning "regrettable" and accused the EU Commission President of "echo[ing] the false propaganda of Hamas and its partners."

Saar was referring to EU proposals to partially suspend trade agreements with Israel and sanction "extremist" ministers over the war in Gaza and illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank (see below).

"Once again, Europe is sending the wrong message, which strengthens Hamas and the radical axis in the Middle East," claimed Saar.

The Chinese and Russian Foreign Ministries have condemned the Israeli strike on Hamas targets in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

A spokesperson in Beijing said China was "deeply concerned" about the further escalation of tensions in the region, which it said were hampering ceasefire negotiations.

He added that China was "dissatisfied" with the efforts of "certain parties" and called on all sides, "especially Israel," to do more to resume peace talks.

Meanwhile in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it "considers this incident a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter, an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent state, and a step leading to further escalation and destabilization of the situation in the Middle East."

It added: "Such methods of fighting those whom Israel considers its enemies and opponents deserve the strongest condemnation."

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations has brushed off criticism from the United States over its attack on senior Hamas figures in Qatar on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump had said he was "not thrilled about the whole situation" and was not notified in advance of the Israeli strike in Qatar.

"We don't always act in the interests of the United States," envoy Danny Danon told Israeli radio station 103FM.

"We are coordinated, they give us incredible support, and we appreciate that, but sometimes we make decisions and [then] inform the United States."

Hamas said six people were killed in the strikes in Doha: an adult son of lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, a senior aide, three bodyguards and a Qatari security officer.

"It was not an attack on Qatar; it was an attack on Hamas," insisted Danon.

The Palestinian Islamist group said its senior leaders had survived, describing "the enemy's failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media: "Israel's security policy is clear: Israel's long arm will act against its enemies everywhere. There is no place where they can hide."

Speaking about the recent Israeli strikes in Qatar's capital, Adham Sahloul, a former special adviser in the Biden administration who served at the US Department of Defense and the US Agency for International Development, said that Israel crossed the Rubicon.

He said, "In the past, Israel has taken action to eliminate Iran-backed proxies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and other parties to the conflict," but he added that "a Western ally striking a major non-NATO ally, Qatar, is a big red line that's been crossed."

Qatar is home to the largest US air base in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump visited Qatar in May, where he signed a deal with the Arab Gulf state to boost economic ties.    

The strikes on Doha, he said, have left "regional allies and partners questioning whether Israeli leadership is serious about peace and bringing the hostages home and ending the conflict."

The Israeli strikes targeting Hamas leadership in Doha comes as Israel and Hamas were engaged in indirect talks to end the war in Gaza. Hamas and other Palestinian groups are still holding Israeli hostages in Gaza which were kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel. 

In addition to the suspension of bilateral payments to Israel (see below), EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also proposed "sanctions on extremist [Israeli] ministers and on violent settlers."

Members of the Israeli government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, are themselves settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and vocal advocates of continuing and expanding illegal Israeli settlements in the region.

Israeli settlers, often armed with firearms, have frequently been involved in deadly disputes with local Palestinians over the settlements.

The European Union is set to suspend all financial support for Israel as a result of the country's actions in the Gaza Strip, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday.

"We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold," she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic."

Exemptions will be made for EU payments which support Israeli civil society initiatives and the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum.

Since the deadly attack on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups on October 7, 2023, which saw around 1,200 Israelis killed and another 250 taken hostage, Israeli retaliation in Gaza has killed more than 64,500 Palestinians and effectively razed the coastal enclave to the ground amid famine.

"Man-made famine can never be a weapon of war," said Von der Leyen, also proposing "a partial suspension" of the so-called Association Agreement which has underpinned political and economic relations between Israel and the EU since 2000.

"For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity, this must stop. What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable. Europe must lead the way, just as it has done before."