UK 'committed' to Qatar security, as MPs praise Doha and condemn Israeli attack

Strong praise of Qatar was the order of the day across the political spectrum in the British parliament on Wednesday, as the Labour government affirmed its commitment to Qatar's security.

Contrary to widespread predictions that he would only weakly express concern over Israel's attack on Doha, Prime Minister Keir Starmer explicitly condemned it on Tuesday afternoon, declaring that the Israeli strikes "violate Qatar's sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region."

Starmer also spoke to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in a phone call on Tuesday evening.

The prime minister's office said he offered the emir his condolences over the death of a Qatari security officer in the attack - and praised Qatar's role in trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

A dozen Israeli fighter jets hit a meeting of senior Hamas officials who were discussing the latest US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza on Tuesday afternoon.

The attack killed six people, including the son of Hamas's chief negotiator and a member of Qatar's internal security force, and injured several civilians.