Hamas says Israel has failed to assassinate its top leaders in an unprecedented air strike on Qatar.
An Israeli air force attack caused several blasts in Qatar's capital, where Hamas negotiators have been studying Gaza ceasefire proposals. Arab countries including the UAE swiftly condemned the strike.
Hamas said its top negotiator and other senior officials survived, but said five others were killed. A Qatari security officer also died at the scene.
Majid Al Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the "cowardly Israeli attack" targeted residential buildings "housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas" in Doha.
"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," he said.
Latest developments
- 'Unhappy' Trump says attack in Qatar was not his decision
- Israel claims it used 'precise munitions', but killed Qatari security agent
- Qatar says it got warning from US only ten minutes after it started
- Target was Hamas's leadership team involved in negotiating Gaza ceasefire deal
- UAE president Sheikh Mohamed expressed 'condemnation of blatant attack'
The Israeli military said it carried out a "precise strike" on the senior leadership of Hamas. But a Hamas statement late on Tuesday declared "the enemy’s failure to assassinate the brothers in the negotiating delegation".
It said the attack killed five people - the son of senior leader Khalil Al Hayya, the director of his office, and three others. According to a senior Hamas official, the attack “hit the office" of Mr Al Hayya, Hamas’s top negotiator. Qatar said a sixth person, a member of its security forces, was killed "while performing his duties" at the site of the attack, and others injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a "wholly independent Israeli operation". The White House said the US was informed in advance but distanced itself from the attack.
"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation, close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America's goals," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Qatar denied her claim that the US had passed on a warning of the attack. A call from a US official "came as the sounds of explosions from the Israeli attack were already being heard in Doha", Mr Al Ansari said.
The UN condemned Israel's attack on Qatar, a country it described as playing a "positive role" in Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Mr Netanyahu said he gave the order at noon on Tuesday "in light of an operational opportunity". He said security chiefs were instructed to prepare for an attack after a shooting near Jerusalem on Monday, for which Hamas claimed responsibility.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Jordan's King Abdullah II held phone calls with Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, to condemn Israel's attack.
Sheikh Mohamed "expressed the UAE's condemnation of this blatant attack", state news agency Wam reported. It said he "stressed that the attack constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of sisterly Qatar and all international laws and norms and undermines the security and stability of the region".
Smoke rose from the Katara district of Doha after the strike. Qatar and Egypt have been acting as mediators in efforts to end the war in Gaza, with Hamas using its office in Doha to conduct negotiations.
Hamas accepted a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire last month. But Israel failed to respond, instead launching a new offensive to seize Gaza city. It has also increased its operations in the occupied West Bank, promising to go after "nests of terror" after Monday's shooting.
"For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organisation's operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the state of Israel," the Israeli military said in a statement.
Hamas's statement on the Israeli strike said the "cowardly assassination attempt" would not change its "clear demands" on the Gaza war, including a total Israeli withdrawal from the strip.
Earlier on Tuesday, sources told The National that Hamas informed ceasefire mediators it would not disarm without that. The US has proposed Hamas surrendering its weapons to stop the war.
“The targeting of the negotiating delegation, at the very moment it was discussing the latest proposal by US President Donald Trump, leaves no doubt that Netanyahu and his government have no intention of reaching any agreement,” stated the group.
Israeli operations
Israeli outlet Channel 12 reported that about 10 warplanes took part in the strike on Qatar, dropping several munitions within seconds. Reports said some Israeli ministers were not given advance warning, to prevent leaks. There was praise of the attack across the political spectrum after the news broke.
An Israeli source said: “We don’t know yet who died, who didn’t, but apparently we have the footage, so apparently it was a successful operation.”
Israel has assassinated several senior Hamas figures during the war in Gaza. The group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a missile strike in Tehran in August 2024. His successor Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops in Gaza a few months later.
The US embassy in Qatar said it “instituted a shelter-in-place order for their facilities". Qatar said the situation was secure and that authorities were taking measures to ensure the safety of residents in the surrounding areas.
"While the state of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty," Mr Al Ansari added.
Investigations are under way and further details will be announced as soon as they are available, he said.
Arab reaction
Arab countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, condemned the attack. Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, called it a "treacherous" incident.
"The security of the Arab Gulf states is indivisible, and we stand heart and soul with the sisterly State of Qatar," Dr Gargash said on X.
He affirmed the UAE's full solidarity with Qatar in confronting such aggression. "May God preserve Qatar, its leadership and people, and may God preserve the Arab Gulf states," he added.
Egypt, which has been working with Qatar to broker a peace deal between Hamas and Israel, said the attack was "dangerous and objectionable". The Israeli escalation "undermines international endeavours to bring about quiet [in Gaza] and threatens security and stability in the entire region", the Egyptian presidency said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Qatar had been "playing a very positive role" in efforts to reach a ceasefire and free the remaining hostages in the enclave. “All partners must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying,” he added.
Israel targets Hamas leadership in attack on Doha - in pictures
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A damaged building following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders, in Doha, Qatar. Reuters -
Smoke rises after several blasts were heard in Doha. Reuters -
Israel says it carried out a 'precise strike' on a site where Hamas negotiators have been discussing Gaza ceasefire proposals. Reuters -
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a "wholly independent Israeli operation". AFP -
The Israeli army said it used 'precise munitions' to mitigate harm to civilians in Doha. Reuters -
Majid Al Ansari, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the 'cowardly Israeli attack' had targeted residential buildings 'housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas' in Doha. Reuters
Pope Leo XIV called it "serious news". In Britain, Downing Street warned against a “further escalation in violence” in the Middle East. The attack comes only weeks before a key UN conference on Palestine where several major powers are expected to recognise the state, angering Israel.
Israel's war on Gaza has raged for almost two years since Hamas's surprise October 7 attack, with more than 64,600 Palestinians killed in the latest count. During the war Israel has also attacked Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen, saying it is acting against threats to destroy it.
An airbase in Qatar was attacked by Iran during its 12-day air war with Israel in June. The strike on Al Udeid base, which is used by US forces, came in retaliation for the American bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.
