Bombed residential building in Doha after Israeli strike Hamas leaders. Image: ABC News.
(The Post News) – Israel carried out a rare bombing inside Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Tuesday, targeting senior Hamas figures and triggering shockwaves in one of the safest cities in the Middle East. The attack was the first Israeli strike on Qatari soil and could sabotage fragile ceasefire negotiations.
Explosions were heard resonating across northern Doha during the early afternoon, shattering the stillness of a diplomatic district inhabited by several embassies. Later on, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported that it had carried out what it described as a “precise strike” in collaboration with the Shin Bet intelligence agency.
“Hamas’s top terror leaders were the target,” the IDF clarified. “They are the ones who are directly responsible for the October 7 massacre and the war against the State of Israel.” The Israeli Prime Minister’s office replied, “Israel initiated it, Israel executed it, and Israel bears full responsibility.”
The missile attack was aimed at Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya and his team, an Israeli senior official said. Hamas spokesmen have informed Al Jazeera that the negotiating team had gathered to discuss a new US offer for a truce when the missiles hit. There is no confirmation of Al-Hayya’s survival.
Qatar Condemns Attack
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry was quick to release a strong condemnation. Spokesman Majed Al-Ansari clarified that the attack was on residential apartments in Doha where members of the political bureau of Hamas were residing. “This cowardly attack is an irresponsible violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law,” he continued. “It puts at risk the security of Qataris, residents, and the stability of the entire region.”
Qatar’s Interior Ministry later assured citizens that “the situation is under control,” while security forces cordoned off the location of the blast for investigation. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Israeli attack as a “flagrant violation” of Qatari sovereignty. He warned that the attack has a risk of undermining efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.
“Qatar played an important role in the ceasefire efforts. Instead of thwarting it, all should collectively bring peace,” Guterres said. The attack was widely condemned across the Arab world. The Gulf nations of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman issued statements condemning Israel’s action. The attack risks further pushing Qatar, a close ally of the US, into aggression against Israel, analysts added.
The strike came a day after Al-Hayya had met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to discuss the latest US-supported proposal for a ceasefire. The proposal called upon Hamas to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for gestures to end the Gaza war. Those negotiations are now likely to collapse, analysts added.
Marwan Bishara, senior political analyst at Al Jazeera, said, “With attacks on Hamas negotiators in Doha, Israel undermines efforts at peace. This is not diplomacy; it’s mafia-style politics.” The attack renewed new fears amongst Israeli hostage families. Einav Zangauker, whose son remains in captivity in Gaza, wrote, X: “I am shaking in fear. Netanyahu has condemned my son to death by assassinating any hope of a deal.”
U.S. Under Scrutiny Over Israel Attack
The United States has not issued an official statement, but American officials informed CNN that Washington received word in advance of the strike. The White House declined to comment.
The move places Washington in a delicate position. Qatar hosts the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military base in the Middle East, and was designated as a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2022. The strike has the potential to pressurize ties with a country at the center of America’s regional security policy.
Hamad Bin Khalifa University professor Sultan Barakat said that the US needs to face the consequences:
“Israel acts like an international pariah. If the US doesn’t rein it in, the entire region will pay the price.” Israel has carried out a wave of assassinations against Hamas leaders abroad over the past year. Targets included political chief Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Tehran, and military commander Mohammed Deif, eliminated in Gaza.
Last summer, IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir vowed to find Hamas leaders “wherever they are on the globe.” Tuesday’s attack in Doha appears to fulfill that vow and bring the conflict to new territory. Analysts warn that the attack in Doha is an insecure precedent. In attacking in a country where active ceasefire negotiations are ongoing, Israel could make the next set of talks impossible to conduct.
This is a turning point,” said Bishara. “If mediators are not safe, diplomacy itself is at risk.”
Doha in Shock
The citizens of the Qatari capital, long among the world’s safest cities, were in shock. Witnesses reported hearing explosions several miles away. “I was having lunch when the explosion shook the windows,” said Sultan Barakat. “It’s bizarre. Doha has never experienced anything like this.”
Security officials cordoned off the site, while embassies across the city tightened security. Even the US Embassy in Doha requested a temporary shelter in place for its employees. While dust settles in Doha, questions are mounting over the way forward for ceasefire talks and Qatar’s role as a mediator. The Israeli raid can bolster hardliners while destroying trust in US-led diplomacy.
For the moment, the area looks on anxiously. Whether this is the beginning of a larger conflict or one last throw by Israel to shatter Hamas’s negotiating body remains to be determined.
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