Daijiworld Media Network – Istanbul

Istanbul, Sep 14: Former Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu has warned that no country in the Middle East now feels safe after Israel carried out a deadly strike on a Hamas negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, a key US ally.

“Attacking Qatar means attacking a country that hosts the US Centcom headquarters. Nobody in the region is safe now,” Davutoglu told The National in an interview at his Istanbul office. The strike on Tuesday killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, shattering ongoing truce talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US to end the Gaza conflict.

The veteran diplomat, who helped broker previous Gaza ceasefires, accused Israel of “spreading instability beyond Palestine,” saying the conflict is now “between Israel and UN principles, and humanity.” He warned that recent Israeli operations have already hit Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iran—and now Qatar, and could eventually threaten Turkey itself.

Turkey’s NATO membership might deter a direct strike, Davutoglu noted, but urged Ankara to alert alliance partners to the rising danger. He also called for countries recognizing Palestine to boycott the upcoming UN General Assembly and convene an alternative meeting in Geneva to protest US backing of Israeli actions.

“The road to Tel Aviv goes through Washington,” he said, pressing regional states to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel and its US ally.

Relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv have sharply deteriorated since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war, with Turkey suspending trade and air links but stopping short of a full diplomatic break. Davutoglu insisted stronger measures are needed, warning that Israel’s actions are isolating it from neighbors and endangering regional stability.