The Gulf states pledge to activate the joint defence pact as Arab and Islamic leaders stand in solidarity with Qatar following Israel’s attack.
DOHA : Attendees of the emergency Arab-Islamic leaders’ summit to discuss the Israeli attack on Hamas on Qatari territory, pose for a family photo, in Doha on September 15, 2025. [Handout/Qatar News Agency via Reuters
An emergency summit of Arab and Islamic country leaders held in Doha has condemned Israel’s “cowardly” attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, but the participants made no promises of concrete action.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s pledge to “activate a joint defence mechanism” may have been the most actionable result of the summit, which was opened by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who called the Israeli bombing “blatant, treacherous, and cowardly”
The GCC countries, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have formed a defence pact to address the security concerns of the member states.
“My country’s capital was subjected to a treacherous attack targeting a residence housing the families of Hamas leaders and their negotiating delegation,” Sheikh Tamim said in his opening speech. The Hamas leaders had been meeting to discuss the latest United States-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The attack on mediators proved that Israel had “no genuine interest in peace” and was seeking to “thwart negotiations” to end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 64,800 Palestinians, he said.
The emergency summit was organised after fury swept the region following Israeli strikes on September 9, ALJAZEERA
