Qatar has called on the international community to increase efforts to place Israeli nuclear facilities under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and for Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear state, according to a statement cited by the Qatari news agency (QNA).

These calls were made by Jassem Yacoub al-Hammadi, Qatar's permanent representative to the United Nations, during a session of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna, focused on Palestinian territories and the nuclear capabilities of Israel.

Al-Hammadi noted that all Middle Eastern countries, except for Israel, are parties to the NPT. He also mentioned the Israeli military campaign in the West Bank, the blockade of aid to Gaza and restrictions imposed on UNRWA.

The Qatari representative stressed that Israel continues its aggressive policies, including calls for the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the intensification of military operations in the West Bank, as well as "obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza and continuous restrictions on UNRWA's operations."

The ambassador finally emphasized the urgency for the international community and its institutions to take decisive measures to compel Israel to implement international resolutions, recognize the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the creation of an independent state, restore security and stability in the Middle East and prevent other global risks.

Qatar has positioned itself as one of the central mediators between Hamas and Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war.

Israel has never openly acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons, but is believed to have 80 such bombs in its arsenal, according to an assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in June 2024. The organization states on its website that approximately 30 of them are "gravity [thermonuclear] bombs" intended to be dropped by aircraft. The remaining 50 warheads are "intended to be launched by Jericho II medium-range ballistic missiles, whose mobile launchers are believed to be installed in caves on a military base east of Jerusalem."

"The operational status of a new Jericho III medium-range ballistic missile is unknown. In 2013, Israel conducted a test launch of a 'rocket propulsion system,' which appears to be intended for a Jericho III missile," said the SIPRI. This number could be underestimated, according to other sources. Israel also possesses a nuclear reactor in Dimona, in the south of the country.