The Qatari official says the Gulf country is in contact with both sides “as part of its role as a mediator.”
A Qatar official has said the Gulf state is acting as a mediator to ease tensions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Since Wednesday, Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem two nights in a row, firing stun grenades and attacking Palestinians as they gathered for Ramadan prayers.
Police beat worshipers, tear gassed the mosque area and fired rubber-coated steel bullets at people.
Qatar condemned the Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacks on Palestinian worshipers, calling them “cruel, criminal practices,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
Statement: Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli occupation forces and the attacking of worshipers#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/hL2LyyUv6L
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) April 5, 2023
“As part of its role as a mediator, the State of Qatar is working to de-escalate the situation on all sides, with last contact at noon today,” a Qatari official told Reuters news agency on Friday. .
Tensions ran high on Friday as Israel attacked several locations in southern Lebanon and in the besieged Gaza Strip, where rockets damaged homes and a children’s hospital.
Two people were killed in the occupied West Bank on Friday when gunmen opened fire on a vehicle.
At least one person was killed and four injured in an attack in Tel Aviv on Friday night, according to Israeli authorities.
A car rammed into a group of people near a popular seaside park before flipping over, police said. The Israeli rescue service said a 30-year-old man was killed.