In first, Israeli-Qatari handshake at COP28 as Herzog cancels speech
A climate summit photo of Herzog and the Qatari leader marks the first time the emir has publicly shaken hands with an Israeli official, as their countries don’t have official diplomatic relations.
DUBAI — Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Friday with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at COP28, the UN climate conference in Dubai, shaking hands for the first time even as the Doha-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed.
A photo from the climate summit of the two men is the first time the Qatar emir has been seen shaking hands with an Israeli official, as their two countries don’t officially have diplomatic relations. Qatar has, however, been a key mediator with the Hamas militant group based in the Gaza Strip.
Herzog and the Qatari leader reportedly held a long conversation, the Times of Israel reported.
The seven-day truce saw Hamas release 105 civilian hostages, including 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals and 1 Filipino. Another 137 hostages are thought to still remain in Gaza. Israel released 210 Palestinian prisoners, many of them women and children.
