EXPLOSIONS reverberated across Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Tuesday after Israel confirmed it had launched a targeted strike against senior Hamas leaders based in the Gulf nation.
The Israeli military, in a joint statement with the Shin Bet intelligence agency, said the attack was aimed at Hamas’s top leadership, who it accused of directing operations for years, including the October 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel.
The unprecedented strike marks Israel’s first known military operation in Qatar, a country that has long hosted Hamas’s political leadership in exile and played a crucial role as a mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Qatar is also home to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military installation in the region.
According to Israeli officials, the Doha attack specifically targeted the Hamas negotiating team, who were reportedly convening to deliberate on a new ceasefire proposal presented by the United States.
The military claimed that extensive intelligence work and precision-guided munitions were used in an attempt to minimize civilian casualties.
“The members of the leadership who were attacked led the terrorist organization’s activities for years, and are directly responsible for carrying out the October 7 massacre and waging the war against the State of Israel,” the Israeli statement read.
It added: “Before the attack, steps were taken to minimize harm to uninvolved people, including the use of precision weapons and additional intelligence information.”
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a separate statement, distancing the United States or other allies from the operation.
“The action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” the statement said.
A Hamas source told Al Jazeera that the strike targeted the group’s negotiators, potentially jeopardizing ongoing ceasefire efforts. No official confirmation has yet been provided on casualties among the Hamas delegation.
The strike comes amid Israel’s intensified regional campaign, with ongoing bombardments in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, as well as daily raids in the occupied West Bank.
The attack in Doha risks straining Israel’s delicate diplomatic balance with Qatar, which has acted as a vital intermediary in truce negotiations and humanitarian arrangements for Gaza.
As of press time, neither the Qatari government nor the US military command at Al Udeid Air Base has issued an official response to the attack.