ISLAMABAD: The Uni­ted Nations Human Rights Council will hold an urg­ent debate in Geneva on Tues­day on Israel’s 9 Sep­t­em­ber attack targeting Ha­­mas leaders in Qatar, the Council said on Monday.

The September 9 Israeli airstrike, which Hamas says killed five of its members but not its leadership, has prompted US-allied Gulf Arab states to close ranks, adding to strains in ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, which normalised relations in 2020.

The Israeli attack was widely condemned across the Arab and Islamic world as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law.

The urgent debate was requested by Pakistan on behalf of member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and by Kuwait on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Tuesday’s debate will be the 10th of its kind to be held at the UN Human Rights Council since its creation in 2006.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2025