Israel escalated their ongoing clash with Hamas by conducting an airstrike targeting their senior leadership in Qatar’s capital, Doha. This marks the first known Israeli military operation within Qatari territory during their 22-month long war in Gaza.
Israeli military operations involve both sides.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed their strike and described it as a “precise operation”, targeting senior Hamas leaders responsible for orchestrating attacks against Israel such as October 7 massacre. IDF also stressed measures were taken to minimize civilian harm in carrying out their operation by employing accurate munitions and intelligence-led targets to minimize civilian harm during its conduct. Financial Times.
Doha residents reported hearing multiple explosions and seeing smoke rise from Katara district – known to house Hamas’ political headquarters – where several explosions occurred simultaneously and al Jazeera, citing a Hamas source, confirmed that their negotiating delegation was targeted during this strike. AP News also confirmed this report.
Background on Hamas Presence in Qatar
Qatar has provided Hamas’ political leadership with a base since 2012, housing figures such as Khaled Mashal and, until his death in 2024, Ismail Haniyeh. Furthermore, Qatar played an instrumental role in mediating ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel; however reports indicate that Qatar may now be reconsidering their relationship due to Hamas rejecting ceasefire proposals and U.S. pressure urging Qatar to expel certain leaders of Hamas (Wikipedia).
Implications for Regional Diplomacy
This Israeli operation is expected to hinder diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the Gaza conflict, particularly Qatar’s role as mediator during negotiations and this strike could strain relations with both Hamas and Israel. As this attack may have wider ramifications on regional stability and future peace initiatives, international observers will closely watch.
As of now, no reports have surfaced of casualties from this incident and Qatari officials have yet to publicly address it. As this event remains fluid and unfolds further developments can be expected within hours.