China warns of possible escalation after Israel strikes Doha

ISTANBUL

China on Wednesday condemned Israel's attacks on Qatar's capital Doha and warned of possible escalation of tensions in the region.

In a regular news conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian expressed "firm opposition" to Israel's violation of Qatar's territorial sovereignty.

Lin also expressed Beijing's dissatisfaction with the "deliberate sabotage of ceasefire negotiations in Gaza."

"The use of force will not bring about peace in the Middle East," said Lin, saying dialogue and negotiation are the solution.

"China strongly urges all parties, especially Israel," to make more efforts to quell the fighting and restart negotiations, rather than to work against them," he said.

Lin also expressed "deep" concern about reports of Israel informing the US before striking Qatar.

Lin criticized "certain non-regional countries" for “severely unbalanced positions” on the Middle East, urging major powers to "prioritize regional peace and stability."

Sri Lanka shows 'deep concern'

Separately, Sri Lanka on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" over the strikes and stressed "the need for restraint."

'Unacceptable,' says South Korea

South Korea also expressed "serious concern" over the attack, possibly leading to a "further worsening of regional instability," and called it an "unacceptable" act that violates Qatar's territorial sovereignty, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency.

"Our government highly assesses Qatar's mediation efforts for peace in the Middle East, and calls for the efforts of parties involved for a swift ceasefire and release of hostages," Seoul's Foreign Ministry said.

Australia calls it 'violation of Qatar’s sovereignty'

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the strikes were "a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty," and "the wrong thing to do."

"Qatar, as you know, has been one of the parties seeking an immediate ceasefire. It has been working with the US on the return of hostages," she told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Wednesday.

'Risk escalation,' says New Zealand

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on the US social media company X that the strikes violate Qatar’s "sovereignty, risk escalation, and undermine efforts by Qatar and the US to end the conflict."

On Tuesday, Israel's military said it conducted a "precise strike targeting the senior leadership" of the Palestinian group.

Qatar condemned the "cowardly" attack, saying the strike targeted residential buildings that housed members of Hamas's political bureau.

The Gulf state, along with the US and Egypt, has been playing a central role in efforts to mediate an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians since October 2023.