Turkey, Qatar slam 'double standards' in Western response to Israel's war in Gaza

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Qatar accused the international community of exercising "double standards" on Wednesday in its reaction to Israel's escalating war in Gaza, which has now entered its nineteenth day.

Qatar's top diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the two governments "reaffirm our complete rejection of responding to the crisis with double standards when it comes to human life".

"It is not permissible to condemn the killing of civilians in one context and justify it in another." Al-Thani, who also serves as Qatar's prime minister, said.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza on October 7, so far killing over 6,500 Palestinians including 2,704 children in a vicious and indiscriminate bombing campaign.

Over 17,000 are also injured, with half the population facing displacement. Israel has also placed the territory under a complete siege cutting off food, water and fuel - with the latter leaving hospitals unable to treat patients and putting thousands at risk of death.

Western governments, including Britain, France and the United States, have stated their full support for Israel, asserting its "right to defend itself" against Hamas, who launched a cross-border attack on Israel over two weeks ago.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: "The failure of some American and North European countries to condemn and prevent the destruction and disaster in Gaza constitutes a very serious double standard and plays a destabilising role.

"The operation in Gaza should be stopped as soon as possible. Humanitarian corridors should be opened," he added.

Both Turkey and Qatar have been strong supporters of the Palestinian cause and have opened channels of communication with Hamas who have governed Gaza since 2006.

The Gulf nation, which hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, also hosts Hamas's political office and is the main residence of the group's self-exiled leader Ismail Haniyeh.

It has used its channels with Hamas to play a lead role in the release of four of the more than 200 hostages held by the militant group in Gaza.

The Qatari minister said the only way to restore peace in and around Gaza was to keep channels of communication open.

He said Doha and Ankara would continue to coordinate with each other and regional partners to de-escalate the war.

He condemned criticism of Qatar's position, saying that such comments "undermine existing efforts, risk lives and cannot be understood except in the context of political blackmail".