Expel terrorists or bring them to justice: Netanyahu's warning to Qatar

Drawing references from the September 11 attack, Netanyahu said that Israel too has an event similar to September 11, referring to October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a fresh warning to Qatar, days after Israeli forces launched a strike targeting Hamas leadership in Doha.

 

Invoking the September 11 attacks in the United States, Netanyahu said in a post on X: “I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.”

 

He said Israel’s October 7, 2023 experience was its equivalent of 9/11, describing the Hamas assault as “the worst savagery against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

 

Netanyahu defends strikes on Doha

 

Netanyahu defended Israel's recent strikes in Qatar, arguing that the Jewish nation was only following America’s precedent. “What did America do in the wake of September 11th? It promised to hunt down the terrorists who committed this heinous crime, wherever they may be,” he said. “We did exactly what America did when it went after the al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan, and after they went and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.”

 

He criticised countries that condemned Israel’s actions, saying they should be “ashamed of themselves” and insisting that Israel deserves the same recognition the US received after killing Bin Laden.

 

Israel targets Hamas leadership

 

On September 9, Israel escalated the conflict by striking Hamas leaders in Doha, risking ongoing talks on a ceasefire and hostage release.

 

Qatar, a US ally that hosts thousands of American troops, has long acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas. It condemned the strike as a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms,” according to an Associated Press report.

 

The Wall Street Journal reported that Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump held a heated phone call after the strike, with Trump reassuring Qatari leaders that such incidents “will not happen again on their soil.”

 

Ceasefire talks in doubt

 

The strike came as Washington pressed Hamas with what Trump described as a “last warning” over a new ceasefire proposal. Arab officials said the US plan included the immediate release of all hostages.

 

Hamas rejected the draft as a “humiliating surrender document,” but said it would discuss and respond in the coming days. The group has insisted it will only release the remaining 48 hostages — about 20 believed to be alive — if Israel agrees to free Palestinian prisoners, implement a permanent ceasefire, and withdraw from Gaza.

 

Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying the war will continue until every hostage is freed, Hamas is disarmed, and Israel retains indefinite security control over Gaza.