Qatar leader to address nation as diplomatic freeze begins to bite

Doha, Qatar (CNN)   Qatar's leader is expected to address his nation Tuesday, one day after the country was thrust into the center of an unprecedented diplomatic crisis that threatens to disrupt everyday life and leave the oil-rich nation isolated from key allies. The last flights operated by Emirates and other major regional airlines left the capital Doha early Tuesday after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives said Monday they are indefinitely severing ties with Qatar a country of 2.4 million people, mostly foreign workers.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani had been due to make a speech Monday, but it was postponed after Kuwait made last-minute efforts to try and resolve the dispute, Qatar's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said. Qatar wanted to solve the crisis through dialogue, added the Foreign Minister. "Regarding the reasons for this escalation, honestly, we don't know if there were real reasons for this crisis or whether it was based on things we're unaware of," he said.

Mideast freezes out Qatar: What you need to know

Stocking up

Qatar is rich in oil and gas but it doesn't really produce its own food -- almost all of comes from Saudi Arabia. On Monday, images shared on social media showed lines at supermarkets and empty shelves as Qatari residents stockpiled food.

A Carrefour supermarket at mall in Doha's city center was busy on Tuesday morning. "Yesterday it was pandemonium, there was a lot of panic buying, shelves were empty," said Pixie, a Brit who's lived in Doha for 6 years. Jonathan from South Africa said he was buying double what he would usually."'Everyone is panicking a little bit, we are stocking up."

Shoppers stock up on supplies at a supermarket in Doha, Qatar on Monday, June 5, 2017.

Scramble to get home

Qatari nationals are now officially on notice to leave the UAE and Saudi Arabia within two weeks. Some scrambled to make the last flights back home. Kholoud Alemadi, a half Qatari, half British actress, was distraught as she headed back to Doha from Dubai, where she had been starring in special shows for the Islam holy month of Ramadan.

"I just locked my apartment and left. I just left my car," she told CNN as waited to board her flight. Qatar is home to almost two million foreign nationals mainly workers from India, Nepal and the Philippines. A Philippine senator urged the country's government to make plans to evacuate its citizens should the standoff worsen, according to Philippine state media.

Others have got caught up in the travel disruption. Pakistan has organized special flights to bring back pilgrims stranded in Qatar on their way home from Mecca, said Pakistan International Airlines chief executive officer Nayyar Hayat.

Qatar rejects allegations

The three Gulf countries and Egypt accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region. Qatar which shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia has rejected the accusations, calling them "unjustified" and "baseless." Yemen and the Maldives also cut ties with Qatar.

Gulf allies have repeatedly criticized Qatar for alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood, a nearly 100-year-old Islamist group considered a terrorist organization by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE accused Qatar of "funding and hosting" the group in its statement announcing the severance of ties. However, analysts say the rift is also driven by the belief that Qatar is too closely aligned with Iran.

Qatari citizens have been told they have 14 days to leave Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, and those countries also banned their own citizens from entering Qatar. Etihad, Emirates, Fly Dubai and Gulf Air said Monday they would halt all flights in and out of Doha, the Qatari capital, starting Tuesday morning.