UN experts condemn Israel’s strikes in Qatar and attacks on peace-making

GENEVA – UN experts* today condemned Israel’s military strike in Qatar on 9 September 2025 which killed five members of the negotiation team of Hamas and a member of the Qatari security forces.

“This attack violates the human right to life, the UN Charter prohibition on excessive use of force, and Qatar’s sovereignty,” the experts said.

“It also undermines efforts in Qatar to mediate a peaceful end to the conflict, ensure access of humanitarian relief into Gaza, and secure the release of hostages and all other individuals who have been arbitrarily detained.”

The strike was widely condemned by the international community as a huge setback to efforts to resolve the conflict and end the assault on Gaza and its population.

“Killing members of the other party’s negotiating team also violates the most basic ground rules of peace-making, which requires good faith dialogue between adversaries, not deceptive assassination attempts,” the experts said.

“We recognise Qatar’s steadfast commitment and constructive diplomacy.”

The experts expressed concern that the strike followed an alarming pattern of Israeli attacks in multiple countries that are not justified under the international law on self-defence, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law.

“We urge all States with information about such incidents to investigate them and bring the perpetrators to justice,” they said.

“We are also deeply concerned by two apparent drone attacks on 8 and 9 September on two vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla in port in Tunis. Incendiary devices dropped by air ignited fires, which were extinguished,” they said.

“We recall the responsibility of the international community to ensure that international crimes are investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted wherever there are reasonable grounds to believe such crimes have been committed.”

“Preserving the integrity of negotiation and mediation channels is crucial for fostering trust that parties need to engage in meaningful dialogue,” the experts said.

The experts underlined that at this critical moment, the international community must push for a ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate delivery of aid and the release of arbitrarily detained persons.

“The people in Gaza have endured immense suffering and irreparable harm with hundreds of thousands killed and injured – the entire territory devastated,” they said.

To learn more about Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council and the Question of Palestine, click here to visit the dedicated webpage.