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Arab and Islamic states expressed full solidarity with Qatar in the face of the Israeli attack on Doha on Sept 9, which targeted residential compounds housing the Hamas negotiating delegation and resulted in deaths and injuries.During the UN Security Council session to discuss the assault, Egypt’s representative Osama Abdel Khalek praised the State of Qatar’s relentless efforts, coordinated with Egypt and the United States, to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring peace and security to both Palestinians and Israelis.He said that Israel’s attack on a fellow Arab state was neither the first of its kind nor likely to be the last since the start of the Gaza crisis, stressing that it took place amid an ongoing act of genocide against the Palestinian people that must not be ignored.Abdel Khalek affirmed that international law and the UN Charter give Qatar and any Arab states subjected to similar Israeli attacks all the legal options needed to respond, and he insisted that the Security Council must not remain a bystander.He added that the strike clearly revealed which party is obstructing a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and is intent on prolonging the war for extremist political and religious goals aimed at displacing the Palestinian people and attempting to eliminate their cause. He called on the Council to immediately adopt a Chapter VII resolution to halt Israel’s aggression in Gaza and to support mediation efforts, concluding by saying that Egypt’s security is inseparable from Qatar’s.Speaking on behalf of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), Kuwaiti ambassador Tareq al-Banai reaffirmed the GCC’s full solidarity with Qatar and its absolute rejection of any violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, security, or stability. He said the GCC holds Israel fully responsible for this shameful act and its consequences, adding that it will not tolerate any threat to the security or stability of Gulf states.He warned of the consequences of continued violations of state sovereignty, stressing that Gulf national security is a red line and that any repetition of such acts would be met with stronger collective positions and firm political and legal measures within the framework of the international system.He added that the attack fits into Israel’s ongoing, systematic policies to destabilise the region and that this aggressive approach would face a united Gulf response with no compromise on sovereignty or security. On behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), Turkish ambassador Ahmet Yildiz strongly condemned the Israeli strike on Qatar, describing it as an act of state terrorism and part of Israel’s systematic efforts to destabilise the region. He affirmed the OIC’s full solidarity with Qatar and its united support for Qatar’s right and duty to respond decisively to any violation or aggression threatening its security or regional stability. He urged the Security Council to act against the unjustified use of military force against Qatar’s sovereignty and to hold Israel accountable for this act of aggression.Iraqi ambassador Lukman Faily said that Israel was once again deliberately trying to drag the region and the world into a dangerous situation through its blatant attack on the Qatari capital, which he described as an act of state terrorism.Speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, he strongly condemned the strike on Doha, stressing that Israel’s repeated assaults amounted to aggression against the entire region and a flagrant threat to international peace and security. He urged the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities in response to these attacks.Faily said the current phase required redoubled efforts, placing the protection of civilians and the prevention of a wider war at the top of the agenda. He emphasised that safeguarding regional and international security demanded an immediate end to Israeli attacks, accountability for those threatening stability, and legal and political responsibility for what he called Israel’s reckless and irrational actions, along with all necessary measures to prevent further violations.Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that the international community must act quickly and effectively to curb the arrogance of the Israeli government and protect the region from the catastrophic consequences of its actions.He described Israel’s leadership as a rogue government stained with the blood of innocents, steeped in extremism and hatred, indifferent to international law and human values, and relying on violence to impose racist ideology and achieve expansionist goals that threaten regional and global peace and security.Safadi said that Israel had launched a cowardly attack on Doha, a blatant betrayal of a country that has been working tirelessly, alongside Egypt and the United States, to secure a lasting ceasefire. He stressed that while Jordan seeks a just peace, there is currently no Israeli partner willing to achieve it.Diplomatic Adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates Anwar Gargash also condemned what he called Israel’s blatant assault on Qatar. He described it as a serious violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and an irresponsible escalation that threatens regional stability and international peace and security.Gargash warned that the Security Council’s continued failure to act decisively against Israel’s repeated violations of the UN Charter’s core principles would have grave consequences for regional and global peace. He added that this unprecedented attack on Qatar severely undermines prospects for peace and for ending the war in Gaza. He noted that Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, is playing a leading role in efforts to secure a ceasefire, release hostages and detainees, reunite them with their families, and resume large-scale humanitarian assistance. Gargash stressed that such reckless acts of aggression would not bring Israel or the region closer to the shared goal of peace, prosperity, and security, but would instead fuel further violence, extremism, and chaos at a time when restraint and de-escalation are urgently needed.He warned that ongoing threats of annexation and attacks on neighbouring states were destroying any foundation for lasting peace and endangering the stability of the entire region.

The Department of Islamic Research and Studies at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs will launch the first event of the second cultural season of the 'Knowledge Integration' seminar series on Tuesday.The first seminar will discuss the possible implications of the process of knowledge integration, within the framework of examining and reflecting on selected models from the long history of Islamic civilization and the cultural, intellectual, and scientific achievements that have continued to shape the present and build the future.The seminar will be held at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, immediately after Isha prayer. Held in cooperation with the Ibn Khaldon Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences at Qatar University, the seminar will feature the participation of a select group of scholars, researchers, and academics.Director of the Department of Research and Islamic Studies Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani said that the seminar is a semi-annual, scientific, and intellectual cultural event held twice a year. It focuses on the causes, tools, and methods for achieving interaction and integration between various sciences, and it examines cultural issues and social problems from an Islamic perspective, he added.The Director of the Department of Research and Islamic Studies said that the seminar's primary goal is to promote a culture of cognitive integration, which tops the list of objectives the Department of Research aims to achieve through its seminars, lectures, and various publications.As for the second seminar of this season, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani explained that it will take place in February 2026 and explore possible ways to advance 'cultural interaction' as a foundation for cognitive integration. This will be achieved through two main, interconnected axes, each with its own intellectual and practical implications.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Wednesday for a suicide bombing that authorities said killed 15 people and wounded dozens more at a political rally in southwestern Pakistan.The claim for Tuesday's attack in Quetta, capital of restive Balochistan province, was made through the group's propaganda arm.Balochistan interior minister Hamza Shafqat gave an updated death toll of 15.Dozens were also wounded in the attack by a suicide bomber with eight kilograms (17.5 pounds) of explosives in a stadium parking lot in Quetta, where hundreds of members of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) had gathered, Shafqat said.Balochistan, a province on the border with Iran and Afghanistan, is regularly the scene of violence, often carried out by militants from the regional branch of the Islamic State, or Baloch separatists.Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and most resource-rich province, but also its poorest, with roughly 70% of the population living below the poverty line.Pakistani forces have been battling an insurgency in the province for more than a decade. In 2024 the region saw a sharp rise in violence, with 782 people killed, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad.While Islamic State militants consider political parties and state institutions to be heretical, they rarely attack Baloch activists.But on Tuesday evening in the Quetta stadium parking lot as BNP rally participants were dispersing, a suicide bomber detonated explosives.IS published a photo of the alleged attacker, his face hidden by a scarf.BNP leader Akhtar Mengal, who at the time of the attack was leaving the rally after delivering a speech, posted on X that he was "safe, but deeply heartbroken at the loss of our workers." The BNP campaigns on a platform calling for greater rights and economic investment in the wellbeing of members of the Baloch ethnicity.Since 2014, China has invested significantly in building a road-and-infrastructure project in Balochistan linked to its One Belt One Road initiative.Many Baloch, however, say the benefits have been reaped only by outsiders.Since January 1, according to AFP figures, more than 430 people, mostly members of the security forces, have been killed in violence carried out by armed groups fighting the state in Balochistan and neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Elsewhere in Balochistan on Tuesday, five paramilitary personnel were killed and four wounded when a homemade bomb exploded as their convoy passed through a district near the Iranian border, a senior local official told AFP.In March, Baloch Liberation Army separatists carried out a spectacular hostage-taking of some 350 people on a train there. Authorities said at least 31 people were killed.