Hamas upset Qatar hosting Israel athletes

General view of Khalifa Stadium during the IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019 in Doha, Qatar, 29 September 2019 [Serhat Çağdaş/Anadolu Agency]

Hamas yesterday said it was “sorry” that Qatar was hosting Israeli sports teams and raising the Israeli flag in Doha.

“We [Hamas] are sorry that Qatar is hosting an Israeli sports team and raising the Israeli flag on its soil, while the Israeli occupation is committing crimes and violations against the Palestinians and holy sites and imposing a tight siege on Gaza,” Hamas said in a statement.

The statement, a copy of which was sent to MEMO, added: “Hamas considers this move a form of normalisation which the Israeli occupation uses to whitewash its image in the face of the world.”

Hamas concluded: “Such actions will motivate the Israeli occupation to inflict more injustice and oppression against the Palestinian people.”

Qatar is currently hosting the World Athletics Championship.

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