Qatar's emir said Monday that Israel had sought to derail Gaza talks by striking Hamas negotiators in his country last week, and that its premier dreamt of an Arab world under Israeli influence.

"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," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Doha to discuss the attack.

He 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".

This handout picture released by the Qatar News Agency (QNA) shows Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Sau

See Full Page