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Key Points
- An Israeli strike on Qatar’s capital killed five Hamas members including a senior leader’s son, Hamas said.
- Qatar, which has long hosted Gaza ceasefire negotiations, condemned the attack as a “cowardly” violation of international law.
- The US said targeting Hamas was a “worthy goal” but expressed regret at the strike on a close US ally.
Israel launched an airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar, expanding its wide-ranging military actions in the Middle East to include the Gulf Arab state where the Palestinian military group has long had its political base.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said hitting Hamas was a worthy goal, but the United States felt badly about the location of the attack.
Qatar is a key security partner of the US and host to al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Middle East. It has acted as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks on a ceasefire in the war in Gaza.
Leavitt told a briefing the Trump administration was notified by the Pentagon that Israel was attacking Hamas in Qatar “just before” and US President Donald Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after it.
Leavitt also said the US military was notified “just before the attack”, but did not respond when asked by whom.
“The Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately, was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” Leavitt told the White House briefing.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar — a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace — does not advance Israel or America’s goals. However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”
Qatar condemned Tuesday’s attack as “cowardly” and called it a flagrant violation of international law. The assault is likely to deal a serious, if not fatal, blow to the ceasefire efforts, especially since negotiations have often taken place in Qatar.
However, hours after Israel’s attack, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said mediation efforts are part of the Qatari identity and nothing would deter its role in that regard.
“Qatar has spared no efforts and will do everything it can to stop this war in Gaza, but for current talks, I do not think there’s something valid right now after what we saw from today’s attack,” al-Thani said at a news conference.
He blamed Israel for sabotaging what he said were chances for peace, sharply criticising Netanyahu, whom he said practised “state terrorism”.
“Qatar reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack and will take all necessary measures to respond,” he said.
He said US officials first warned Qatar of the Israeli attack 10 minutes after it started, while a White House official said Israel had notified the US about the strike beforehand.
Hamas said five of its members had been killed in the attack in Doha, including the son of Hamas’ exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. It said Israel had failed in what Hamas called an attempt to assassinate the group’s ceasefire negotiation team.
Earlier, Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera TV the group’s top leadership had survived the Israeli attack.
Two Hamas sources told Reuters Hamas officials in the ceasefire negotiating team survived the attack, which followed an evacuation order in Gaza City, where Israel is waging an offensive to try to destroy the group and its military capabilities in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials told Reuters the strike was aimed at top Hamas leaders, including Hayya.
Israel is still gathering information on the strike and has yet to determine whether any Hamas officials or leaders were killed, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
The airstrike took place shortly after Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for a shooting on Monday that killed six people at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Netanyahu said the attack was “entirely justified” and was ordered after the Jerusalem attack and the loss of four Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
“The days are over when terror leaders can enjoy immunity of any kind … I won’t allow that kind of immunity to exist,” Netanyahu said in a televised address.
Israeli attack draws strong international criticism
The Israeli operation drew strong negative reactions around the world.
The European Union called it a breach of international law and Qatar’s territorial integrity, while the United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, called it “blatant and cowardly”.
Saudi Arabia denounced what it called “brutal Israeli aggression” against Qatar’s sovereignty. Egypt said the attack set a dangerous precedent.
Pope Leo expressed unusually forceful concern about the consequences of Israel’s strike in Qatar.
“The entire situation is very serious,” he said.
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres condemned the attack and said Qatar had been playing a very positive role in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Israel has killed several top Hamas leaders since the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel has also launched airstrikes and other military action in Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen in the course of the Gaza conflict.
Gaza City braces for new onslaught
On Tuesday, Palestinians living in the ruins of Gaza City were bombarded with Israeli leaflets ordering them out, after Israel said it was about to obliterate the area in an assault to wipe out Hamas, causing panic and confusion.
Residents of Gaza’s biggest urban area, home to a million Palestinians before the war, have been expecting an onslaught for weeks, since Israel devised a plan to deal Hamas a fatal blow in what it says are the group’s last strongholds.
International critics say Israel’s Gaza plan, which includes demilitarising the entire Gaza Strip as Israel takes security control, could worsen the humanitarian plight of the 2.2 million Palestinians who live there.
The plan has also provoked concern inside Israel, where public support for the war has wavered. Israel’s military leadership has warned Netanyahu against expanding the war, according to Israeli officials.
Families of Israeli hostages fear the attack could endanger the captives. Netanyahu says he is acting out of Israel’s interest by moving to finish off Hamas in order to safeguard his country against any more attacks.
Israel has strongly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as self-defence.
