ALERT: Irish people in Qatar warned to ‘shelter in place’ after Israeli air strike in Doha
The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a security alert for Irish people in Qatar urging them to exercise a high degree of caution
Irish people living or working in Qatar are being urged to exercise a high degree of caution and to "shelter in place" after six people were killed in an Israeli air strike.
Following Tuesday's bombing in Doha, the Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a security alert for Irish people in Qatar urging them to exercise a high degree of caution.
Describing what happened, Irish UN worker Niamh Collins said that at 1.40pm in Doha her building shook.
She told RTÉ news the area targeted is a “diplomatic area” and that she feels “uneasy”.
In a statement, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris said: “The Embassy of Ireland in the UAE is currently advising all Irish citizens to shelter in place, to exercise caution, monitor local and international media, follow the advice of local authorities, and observe any additional security measures imposed during this time.”
There is no Irish embassy in Qatar. Should Irish people in the region seek consular assistance, they should contact the Irish embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Israel says the attack was directed at Hamas officials and was in response to a shooting in Jerusalem on Monday that killed six people.
Officials in the United States have confirmed they warned Qatar about the air strikes, however, it was “too late”.
CCTV video footage of the bombing shows a busy area being subsumed by black smoke.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the attack "risks further destabilising a fragile region, making a ceasefire in Gaza even more difficult to secure.”
He added: "As the Secretary General of the United Nations has said, it represents a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Mr Martin condemned the attack and reiterated his wish for a ceasefire: "This will require careful and detailed diplomacy, not the use of blunt military force as we have seen today.”
Hamas says none of its senior leaders were killed in the attack.
The attack is the first strike Israel has made on Qatar.
Qatar has been instrumental in hosting ceasefire talks.
Officials in Qatar are tasking a legal team with holding Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to account for breaking international law with yesterday's strike on Doha.