Iraq condoles with Qatar over death of three diplomats in Egypt
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq on Sunday offered its "deepest condolences" over the deaths of three Qatari diplomats and wished recovery for injuries in a car accident near Egypt's southern resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. The deceased and wounded were members of Qatar's Amiri Diwan, the country's top government body.
Iraq's foreign ministry extends its "deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the sisterly State of Qatar, its government and people, for the death of three Amiri Diwan employees and the injury of others, as a result of the painful accident that occurred in Sharm el-Sheikh, Arab Republic of Egypt, while they were performing their diplomatic duties," the ministry said in a statement.
The Iraqi foreign ministry expressed Baghdad's "full solidarity with the State of Qatar in this unfortunate accident."
The incident came just a few days after Qatari, Turkish, and Egyptian mediators and diplomats took part in indirect talks in Sharm el-Sheikh that led to a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.
Qatar is a close American ally and has been a key mediator in ceasefire negotiations, in which Doha played a decisive role in the breakthrough.
The conflict, the bloodiest in Gaza, began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas launched a surprise incursion into southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Of those, 47 hostages remain in Gaza, including 25 who the Israeli military believes are dead.
In response, Israel launched a wide scale military campaign. As of Thursday, the Gaza health ministry said nearly 67,200 Palestinians had been killed and about 170,000 injured in Israeli bombardments. Famine is spreading through the enclave and a United Nations commission said Israeli has committed genocide.
The Egyptian Red sea resort city is set to host a global summit on Monday aimed at thrashing out the truce.