'No major achievement': Israelis lukewarm on Qatar strike

Few cheers as Israel snubs Donald Trump and apparently fails to decapitate Hamas

Israel attacked Hamas leadership in Qatar but it was unclear how successful the strike had been. AFP

There were mixed reactions in Israel after the country bombed Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, in one of the most consequential moments of the Gaza war.

Israelis were on tenterhooks waiting for news on the fate of Hamas's most senior officials, who were thought to have been in Doha discussing ceasefire proposals.

Initial reports in Israeli media suggested officials were optimistic that key targets had been killed. From Wednesday morning, however, reports changed with an increasing number suggesting that the mission had failed, as Hamas claimed.

“We’ll have to wait to see what the results are and what they mean in terms of Israel’s international relations and Hamas’s power,” Jerusalem resident Ilan told The National.

Palestinians search in the rubble of the Tiba tower after Israeli strikes on Gaza city. AFP

“Hamas is going to have to make some sort of deal at some point, because otherwise it’s just going to keep escalating and I don’t think Israel is ready to stop,” he added, referring to Israel’s operation to conquer Gaza city.

“They just potentially took out the leaders in Qatar, who have amassed billions in dollars from the Palestinian people and the international community. An end to the war is on the cusp, it can’t go on much longer.”

Piper, also from Jerusalem, argued that Qatar had helped Hamas by allowing senior leaders to reside in Doha, a widespread view among Israelis since the beginning of the war.

“From what I know, Qatar is the reason these Hamas guys are even alive. They could have ended it all years ago,” she said.

Daniel, from Tel Aviv, raised US objections to the strike. “I’m not surprised at any form of death-from-the-sky by Israel at this point in time, but I was very surprised at how irreverent Netanyahu can be when it comes to Donald Trump’s will. You do not spit in the face of a US president like that,” he said.

“There’s no talk about the sovereignty of Qatar. It’s never really about the sovereignty of any nation, let alone one like Qatar that most Israelis view as an enemy nation.”

He described Israelis as being indifferent to the attack. “All the organisers of October 7 have already to a large extent been eliminated. Israelis don’t really understand who we are killing when it comes to Hamas because it has become a faceless organisation. The big symbols have been taken out. So I don’t think Netanyahu can spin this into a major achievement.”

Much criticism in Israel focused on what the strike means for the fate of the few remaining hostages still held captive in Gaza. Polling shows that most Israelis prioritise their well-being over continuing to fight Hamas.

The forum representing most of the families of captives wrote an open letter, signed by several Israeli Nobel Prize laureates, to Mr Trump, calling on him to act to stop the war and release their loved ones.

Family members of Israeli hostages have repeatedly called for an end to the Gaza war. EPA

“The hostages are running out of time. We need your strong leadership to set a clear deadline and end this nightmare for the hostages, the families, the people of Israel and all the people of the region,” the letter said, alluding to the strike on Qatar and Israel’s operation in Gaza city.

There was nonetheless great resignation about the fate of the captives. Israel’s oldest newspaper, Haaretz, published an editorial calling the strike a “death sentence” for the hostages.

“This is just another way to make sure that there will be no hostage talks. Netanyahu doesn’t want them but he has to play as though he does,” Moriel, from Tel Aviv, said.

“Nothing surprises me any more. I look at the government like they’re crazy pit bulls. There’s no logic,” Moriel added. “Nobody cares. We’re in a complete state of apathy.”