Israel has carried out an airstrike against Hamas political leaders in Doha, which Qatar condemned as a “cowardly attack” and “criminal assault”.
Multiple explosions rocked the Qatari capital on Tuesday after Israeli forces said they launched a surprise strike without confirming the location of the strike. It marked a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas and drawing swift condemnation from Arab leaders. It is the first time Israel has targeted the Hamas leadership in Qatar, after assassination operations in Lebanon and Iran.
Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, condemned what he described as a “cowardly Israeli attack”, which he claimed targeted residential buildings housing senior Hamas political leaders.
Click here for the latest updates
“This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar,” he said in a statement posted on X.
Keir Starmer also condemned the strike saying it violated Qatar’s sovereignty and risked “further escalation across the region.”
“The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza. This is the only solution towards long-lasting peace,” the prime minister posted on social media platform X.
There are conflicting reports over the fate of the Hamas leaders. The Israeli military declined to respond to requests for comment from The Independent .A source told Reuters they had survived the attack, but several reports suggest Khalil al-Hayya, a senior official in Hamas’s political bureau and chief negotiator, was killed.
The Qatari interior ministry later said a member of its internal security service was killed in the strike and a number of others were injured.
Israel’s attack on Qatar has raised serious questions about the future of Gaza ceasefire negotiations, in which Doha has played a key mediating role between Hamas and Israel. It has also ignited concerns of region-wide conflict.t
Reports suggest the Israeli military had targeted a delegation of Hamas leaders gathered in Doha to discuss a Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by the US. Hamas sources have accused the US of luring its members into a meeting “in order to attack them”.
Israel’s Channel 12, citing a senior Israeli official, had reported that US Donald Trump gave the green light for the attack, but Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuted those claims.
“Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation,” Netanyahu’s office said. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
Trump has not issued a statement on the Israeli strike.
Arab leaders shared messages in solidarity with Qatar, which had already been caught in the crossfire of Israel’s and the US’s conflict with Iran in June, when Tehran launched a retaliatory strike against the USA by targeting Washington DC’s main military base in the region which is located near Doha.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, called the Israeli attack on Doha “blatant and cowardly”.
Abu Dhabi was already angry over an Israeli minister’s plan for annexation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, saying that was a red line that cannot be crossed.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described the attack as a “criminal act and a flagrant violation of international law”, while Iraq’s foreign ministry said it was a “cowardly act” that represents a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and poses a threat to its security and stability.
Egypt said the attack set a dangerous precedent.
Pope Leo, who typically refrains from immediate reactions to world news, expressed unusually forceful concern on Tuesday about the consequences of Israel’s strike in Qatar
“There’s some really serious news right now: Israel’s attack on some Hamas leaders in Qatar,” the pontiff told journalists outside his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack, saying “all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”
The Israeli military (IDF) said it carried out a “precise strike” with Shin Bet that targeted senior Hamas leaders without revealing where.
“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organisation’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel,” the military said in a statement.
Hamas leaders have held a political office in Doha since 2012, with Qatar contributing millions to support humanitarian initiatives in the Gaza Strip.
This unique relationship has enabled Qatar to act as a bridge between Israel and Hamas, and while Israel holds no formal relations with Qatar, it has previously acknowledged and commended Doha’s role in facilitating dialogue during its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
The attack comes after Trump issued his “last warning” to Hamas to accept his terms to end the war in Gaza. In a post on his Truth Social app on Sunday, he claimed Israel had accepted his new proposal, though he did not specify what the terms were.
He then told reporters that his administration was working on a solution to bring home the Israeli hostages that are being held in Gaza, without giving further details.
“You’ll be hearing about it pretty soon. We’re trying to get it ended, get the hostages back,” he said.
