President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday said he had held a “pertinent discussion” with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, days after the country was the target of an Israeli airstrike.

“I stressed that we condemn the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, a grave threat to regional stability. I also reiterated Cyprus’ solidarity and acknowledged Qatar’s vital role in mediating for a Gaza ceasefire and regional peace,” he wrote in a post on social media.

Israel had launched strikes on Qatar on Tuesday, saying it was attempting to kill the political leaders of Hamas, with Hamas saying after the attack that five of its members had been killed as a result.

They included the son of the group’s exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, but Hamas said it had failed to assassinate any of its ceasefire negotiation team.

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In the strike’s aftermath, Cyprus’ foreign ministry had described it as “utterly unacceptable”, adding that “actions violating Qatar’s territorial integrity are risking regional peace and security and are non-permissible under international law”.

“Cyprus firmly reiterates the call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza,” it said.

Outside of Cyprus, the attack drew widespread condemnation from the international community, with a European Union spokesperson saying that it had “breached international law and Qatar’s territorial integrity”.

United States President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the strike, and added “I’m not thrilled about it”.

“It’s not a good situation but I will say this. We want the hostages back, but we’re not thrilled about the way it went down today,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strike a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This week’s attack was not the first time this year Qatar has been the target of airstrikes, with Iran having fired missiles at the United States’ Al Udeid airbase in the country during a brief conflict with Israel in June, in response to the US bombing of three nuclear facilities in Iran the day before.

After the bombing of the Al Udeid base, the US had asked Qatar to help in mediating an end to the conflict, with the ceasefire being announced by US President Donald Trump a little over a day after Qatar had been hit by missiles.

At that time, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos had said following a telephone call with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abrulrahman Al Thani that he had “commended the Qatari leadership” which brought about that ceasefire.

Relations between Cyprus and Qatar have deepened more broadly in recent years, with President Nikos Christodoulides saying during a visit of the Emir to Nicosia last year that Cyprus can be considered as Qatar’s “ambassador in Brussels”.

 “We are in the same region, we have excellent relations, but there are many prospects for further strengthening our bilateral relations, as well as for our cooperation in the region,” he said.