Qatar said it was “appalled” by remarks attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was allegedly caught on tape calling the emirate’s role as mediator in the Gaza bombardment “problematic”, AFP reports.

In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said his country was “appalled by the alleged remarks attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister”.

“These remarks if validated, are irresponsible and destructive to the efforts to save innocent lives, but are not surprising,” the statement said.

Qatar is still involved in talks aimed at securing a new hostage deal, and Ansari said Netanyahu’s remarks were detrimental to those efforts.

“If the reported remarks are found to be true, the Israeli PM would only be obstructing and undermining the mediation process, for reasons that appear to serve his political career instead of prioritising saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages,” the statement said.

It added that Netanyahu should focus on freeing the hostages rather than “concerning himself with Qatar’s strategic relations with the United States”.