Qatar emir says Israel attack aimed to derail Gaza ceasefire talks

Qatar's emir has said that Israel sought to derail Gaza ceasefire talks by striking Hamas negotiators in Doha last week.

"Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations... Negotiations, for them, are merely part of the war," Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani told Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Doha to discuss the recent attack.

The emir also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "dreams of turning the Arab region into an Israeli sphere of influence, and this is a dangerous illusion".