CAIRO - Egypt has given the Qatari ambassador in Cairo 48 hours to leave the country, Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement Monday.

The Qatari diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Ministry headquarters on Monday and was handed an official memorandum on ending his accreditation as ambassador to Egypt, the statement said.

The Qatari ambassador has only 48 hours to leave the country, according to the statement.

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and the United Arab Emirates announced the severing of diplomatic ties with Qatar, as they accused the Gulf state of "supporting terrorism."