Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Al-Thani: What is happening in region is 'collective genocide'
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has described the crisis in the Middle East - following Israeli assaults on Gaza and Lebanon - as "collective genocide", saying his country has always warned of Israel's "impunity".
Qatar has been a keen player in trying to end the war in Gaza but has been frustrated by Israeli attempts to block a truce with Hamas.
Last week, an Israeli assault on Lebanon intensified, leading to missile strikes by Iran, bringing the region ever closer to all-out war.
"It has become crystal clear that what is happening is genocide, in addition to turning the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human habitation, in preparation for displacement," he said during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha.
The Qatari emir also condemned Israeli air strikes and military operations "against the brotherly Lebanese Republic".
Israel strongly objects to accusations it is committing genocide in Gaza, where it launched an assault a year ago, although the whole of the enclave is in ruins with at least 41,500 Gazans there killed over the past year, with the real death toll likely to be much higher.
This week, Israel launched a ground incursion in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah, which has been firing into Israel in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has killed over 1,900 Lebanese civilians since 8 October.
(Reuters)