An unprecedented event shook the Middle East on Tuesday evening, after Israel launched a direct airstrike on the Qatari capital, Doha, aiming to eliminate senior Hamas leaders living and operating there. The event has caused a huge wave of international reactions and has been described as an escalation of the conflict.
Israel struck a compound north of Doha in what the Israeli military said was a “precision strike.” The compound is home to Hamas’s negotiating team and was reportedly carried out by 15 Israeli warplanes, which fired 10 missiles at a single facility. The Israeli prime minister said the strike was in response to Hamas’ shooting in Jerusalem yesterday, which killed six people, and in retaliation for the Hamas leadership responsible for the attacks of October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu said Hamas claimed responsibility for the killing of four Israeli soldiers in Gaza and six civilians in Jerusalem, so he authorized a “surgical, precision strike” on Hamas leaders. “The days when terrorist leaders could enjoy immunity are over,” he said. The Israeli prime minister added: “Make peace with us and accept President Trump’s proposal.” He added that the war would end immediately if Hamas accepted it.
President Isaac Herzog also called the targeting of Hamas' leadership "important and just" and named Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's chief negotiator, as responsible for the October 7 massacre. Relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas reacted with fear, saying the attack could have killed the hostages and destroyed any chance of a deal.
But Arab countries such as Jordan, Kuwait, the Emirates and Oman strongly condemned the attack, calling it “a provocative escalation and a flagrant violation of sovereignty.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Israeli attack on Doha a “flagrant violation of international law” and a serious threat to regional security. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the “flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” saying Qatar had played a positive role in the ceasefire efforts.
But on the other hand, the White House confirms that the US was notified before the attack. Trump had issued a "final warning" to Hamas to accept the ceasefire agreement.
Analysts say it is difficult to interpret today’s dramatic events in Qatar as anything other than a major escalation of regional tensions and ongoing conflicts. Just two days after Donald Trump called on Hamas leaders to seriously consider his latest Gaza ceasefire plan, did he approve of or have knowledge of Israel’s intention to attempt to assassinate that group of leaders just as they were meeting in Doha to discuss Hamas’ response to Trump’s plan?
