Israel attacks Hamas targets in Qatar
The Israeli Armed Forces carried out a targeted attack against senior Hamas officials in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described this offensive as a ‘precision strike’ against ‘the leadership of the Hamas terrorist organisation’, carried out in collaboration with the Israeli Security Agency (ISA).
Israel specified that this was an independent offensive by the Israeli state. ‘Israel initiated it, Israel directed it, and Israel takes full responsibility,’ said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on social media platform X.
Initially, there was no information on casualties from the bombing, prior to which measures were taken to avoid civilian casualties, according to the IDF. According to various media outlets, such as Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, the Israeli army failed to eliminate the Hamas leaders who were the main military target. The Israeli target was reportedly Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya.
The attack, dubbed ‘Operation Summit of Fire’ by the Israeli army, marks the first time Tel Aviv has launched such an open operation in Qatar, expanding its range of military operations that have already taken place in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the Red Sea and Yemen.
This attack is part of the offensives launched by Israel with Hamas as its main target after the terrible attacks carried out by the Palestinian extremist organisation on 7 October 2023 on Israeli territory, which left more than 1,200 dead and up to 250 people kidnapped.
The IDF confirmed that it will continue to ‘operate with determination to defeat the Hamas terrorist organisation, responsible for the massacre on 7 October’.
The ‘precision bombing’ against alleged Hamas leaders came shortly after several explosions were reported in the Katara neighbourhood of Doha. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Israeli attack targeted residential buildings housing several members of Hamas' political office, according to Al-Arabiya.
In response to this military intervention on its own territory, Qatar condemned the ‘cowardly’ Israeli attack against ‘Hamas officials in Doha,’ considering it contrary to international law. In addition, Hamas sources quoted by the Qatari television network Al Jazeera indicated that the target of the attack was the negotiating delegation of the Palestinian Islamist group, which was holding a meeting to discuss the latest proposal by US President Donald Trump for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, talks in which Qatar is acting as mediator alongside Egypt. Precisely, these talks to reach a truce in Gaza have not been successful despite the mediating efforts, and it appears that Qatar is now withdrawing from these negotiations until further notice and until the Israeli attack is fully clarified.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel's staunch enemy in the Middle East region, also denounced the Israeli attack on Doha. Meanwhile, Palestinian Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh was emphatic in his condemnation: ‘We condemn Israel's brutal attack on Qatar.’ The United Arab Emirates also ‘strongly’ condemned the Israeli attack on the Qatari capital.
For its part, the US Embassy in Doha issued a lockdown order for US citizens in the event of further possible attacks, recommending that US citizens remain in their homes and watch for updates on social media.
Thus, Israel's intense military activity continues in the wake of the terrible attacks on 7 October 2023. Immediately after the attacks, the Israeli army began the latest war in Gaza, targeting Hamas and launching military offensives that have already left tens of thousands of victims in Gaza and continue despite international attempts to reach a truce.
There were also Israeli offensives against Hezbollah, the Shiite militia based in Lebanon, and against Iran, which took measures against Israel in response to the attack on the Palestinian population.