Israel carries out strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar
Qatar told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that it would “not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour and the ongoing disruption of regional security”.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns this cowardly criminal assault, which constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms,” Qatar’s U.N. Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani wrote to the council in a letter seen by Reuters.
“Investigations are underway at the highest level, and further details will be announced as soon as they are available,” she added, describing the Israeli attack as a “serious escalation”.
Trump also spoke with Netanyahu after the attack, who told the US president that he wanted to make peace quickly, Leavitt said. She said Trump “believes this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace”.
The strikes targeted Hamas’ political leadership in residential buildings in Doha, according to Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari. He branded it a “cowardly Israeli attack” and a “criminal assault [that] constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms”.
Hamas’ political bureau has operated openly in Qatar since 2012. The listed terrorist group said in a statement that its top leaders survived the strike but five lower-level members were killed, including the son of Khalil al-Hayya – Hamas’ leader for Gaza and its top negotiator – and the head of al-Hayya’s office.
Black smoke rose over the skyline of Doha following the targeted strike. Credit: Youtube/Al Jazeera
Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, gave no immediate proof that al-Hayya and other senior figures had survived.
The Israel Defence Force said it and the Israel Security Agency conducted a precise strike aimed at killing the senior leaders of Hamas, and said they would continue to “operate with determination” to defeat the group responsible for the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
“Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence,” the IDF said.
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The strike came hours after Israel’s military told Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of its planned offensive to take control of what it portrays as Hamas’ last remaining stronghold and where hundreds of thousands of people remain struggling under conditions of famine.
The alerts directed at Gaza City were the first calling for a full evacuation. Until now, the military had only told specific sections of the northern city to evacuate ahead of operations or strikes.
The Qatar attack also came after the US made a new proposal for Hamas to release the final hostages it captured on October 7, 2023, believed to be 48 people, with 20 still alive. Trump said on Monday (AEST) that Israel had accepted his terms and it was time for Hamas to do the same.
“I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting,” he said at the time. “This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
Leavitt said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) that Trump was not referring to Israel’s operation in Doha when he issued that warning.
Trump speaking with Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al Thani (left) and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani (right) as he leaves Al Udeid Air Base in May.Credit: Getty Images
Qatar has been the key mediator in negotiations between Israel, Hamas and the US since the October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas which killed about 1250 Israelis, and Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza, which has killed about 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Other global leaders condemned Israel’s strikes. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said: “All parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”
The European Union expressed solidarity with Qatar and its people, and said Israel’s strike in Doha breached international law and Qatar’s territorial integrity.
“Any escalation of the war in Gaza must be avoided – it is in no one’s interest. We will continue to support all efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza,” said a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X that the attack was “an intolerable expansion of violence” that risked escalating conflict throughout the region. He said the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, played a highly constructive role in efforts to achieve a ceasefire and release of the hostages.
Qatar is a strategic US ally in the Middle East. Its vast Al-Udeid Air Base is home to the US military’s forward headquarters for its Middle East-based Central Command, and came under Iranian attack during the 12-day Iran-Israel war that saw American bombers attack Iranian nuclear sites.
The Zionist Organisation of America said it was fully supportive and proud of Israel’s strikes, which showed that “justice will reach wherever enemies of Jews reside, whether in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran or even Doha”. Morton Klein, the group’s president, said the world should applaud Israel for its “brilliant and courageous actions”.
But Ilay David, brother of Evyatar David, an Israeli hostage held by Hamas, told CNN he didn’t know how to feel about the attack and its potential impact on negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the final hostages.
“We’re just so confused. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, I have no idea,” he told the network. “Those [targets] were the people, as I understand it, that Qatar used in the negotiations. Right now, I don’t know who Israel is going to negotiate with.”
with AP, Reuters
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