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PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Qatar late on Sunday to attend the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit, convened to address escalating tensions following an Israeli air strike in Doha that allegedly targeted Hamas political leaders.
Anwar’s special aircraft touched down at Hamad International Airport at 9.30pm local time (2.30am Monday in Malaysia), where he was welcomed with an official guard of honour by the Amiri Guard and received by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
The Prime Minister is in Doha at the invitation of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, following Israel’s 9 September strike, which is said to have killed six people, including the son of senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Hayya, his office director, and a Qatari security officer.
Hamas leaders meeting in Doha at the time reportedly escaped unharmed.
Accompanying the Prime Minister were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Qatar Faizal Razali, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan, and senior Foreign Ministry officials.
Anwar departed from the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang at 7pm on Sunday.
At the summit on Monday, the Prime Minister is expected to deliver a national statement asserting Malaysia’s firm position that regional and global peace is under serious threat if Israel continues to violate international law, the United Nations Charter, and national sovereignty.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday that Anwar’s attendance demonstrates “full support and solidarity with Qatar” and reaffirms Malaysia’s continued efforts to defend Palestinian rights and denounce Israel’s violence.
A resolution outlining a collective stance and response by OIC member states is expected to be adopted at the summit.
The extraordinary meeting of the Arab-Islamic bloc follows a preparatory meeting of foreign ministers held earlier on Sunday, focusing on the deteriorating situation in Gaza and what Anwar had previously called Israel’s “extreme” violence.
AP reported on Monday that the summit was called in response to Israel’s attack on Doha, allegedly carried out by 15 fighter jets during a Hamas leadership meeting regarding a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani condemned Israel ahead of the summit, saying the attack on Doha amounted to "state terrorism" and a "reckless and treacherous" act that undermined Qatar’s role as a mediator.
“This attack can only be described as state terrorism, an approach pursued by the current extremist Israeli government, which flouts international law,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “The reckless and treacherous Israeli aggression was committed while the state of Qatar was hosting official and public negotiations, with the knowledge of the Israeli side itself, and with the aim of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.”
He added, “It is time for the international community to stop applying double standards and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also criticised Israel’s actions, warning that “silence in the face of a crime... paves the way for more crimes.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the strike, saying on social media platform X, “The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza... Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”
Hamas official Bassem Naim expressed hope that the summit would yield “a unified and decisive Arab–Islamic stance” on the conflict.
Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup, has long served as a key intermediary between Hamas and Israel, hosting Hamas’ political leadership at the United States' request. However, it has come under increasing scrutiny from hard-liners within Netanyahu’s government since the war began in October 2023.
That conflict began when Hamas-led militants launched an attack into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others.
In the nearly two years since, Israeli offensives have killed over 64,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials in Gaza. Israel claims that roughly half were women and children, though the exact breakdown between civilians and combatants remains unclear.
Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. - September 15, 2025
