GCC to activate defence mechanism; Doha summit slams Israel’s Qatar attack

Doha, Qatar – An emergency summit of Arab and Islamic country leaders held in Doha has condemned Israel’s “cowardly” attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, but the participants made no promises of concrete action.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s pledge to “activate a joint defence mechanism” may have been the most actionable result of the summit, which was opened by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who called the Israeli bombing “blatant, treacherous, and cowardly”.

The GCC countries, comprising of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have formed a defence pact to address the security concerns of the member states.

“My country’s capital was subjected to a treacherous attack targeting a residence housing the families of Hamas