By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Israel on Tuesday, 9 September, carried out an attack targeting senior Hamas leadership in Doha, the Qatari capital at the heart of talks to mediate a deal to end the Gaza war.

Explosions on Tuesday morning tore through what Qatar’s Interior Ministry said was a “Hamas residential headquarters.” The attack “failed” to take out Hamas leaders, including Khalil al-Hayya, a central figure in the group, but killed his son and a top aide, Hamas said in a statement.

The Trump administration criticized the Israeli strike in stark terms. “This morning, the Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news briefing Tuesday afternoon. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”

Leavitt did not say the extent to which the United States was forewarned of the attack, but said the White House was notified of it by the military. The administration notified Qatar of the impending attack, she said, but Qatar said the notice came as the attack was already underway. U.S. officials said it was still unclear how much the Israelis had shared beforehand, amid conflicting narratives.

In negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region, serves as a high-level intermediary and allows Hamas political leaders to maintain offices. In recent days, Arab nations, including Qatar, pushed Hamas to accept a new ceasefire proposal from the U.S. The Israeli attack on Qatari soil could shift the diplomatic balance, imperiling the prospect of a ceasefire and hostage deal, analysts said Tuesday.

 

Who was hit in the attack?

Hamas said members of the group's negotiating delegation in Doha had been targeted but survived the strike. However Hamas said six others, including a Qatari security official, had been killed.

According to Hamas, those killed were:

"We confirm the enemy's failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation," a Hamas statement said.

It added the strike "confirms beyond doubt that Netanyahu and his government do not want to reach any agreement" for peace.

Earlier in a post on X, Israel's President Isaac Herzog says it was "important and correct" to target Hamas's leadership, and then condemned Khalil al-Hayya - Hamas's chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader - without confirming he was a direct target.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that al-Hayya was one of those targeted, as well as Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

 

What did the US know and did Trump give a 'green light'?

The office for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put out a statement shortly after the strike, claiming the attack was "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," it said in a statement.

The White House also quickly confirmed it was informed of the operation, almost certainly because of the proximity of the huge US airbase at al-Udeid, just outside Doha.

This means that Donald Trump had a chance to say no to Israel but chose to give a green light instead.

Given this was an attack on sovereign Qatari territory, questions remain over how this will affect the massive US airbase at al-Udeid and how it will affect US relations with all its Gulf Arab allies.

 

What were Hamas leaders doing in Qatar?

Qatar has acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas and has hosted negotiations between them since October 2023.

A couple of days ago, Hamas said it welcomed "some ideas" from the US about how to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement that it received through mediators. It said it was in discussion about how to turn them "into a comprehensive agreement that meets the needs of our people".

It's thought likely the targeted Hamas leaders were in the middle of discussing their formal response to the US ideas.

A Palestinian official earlier told the BBC the US plan would see the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza freed in the first 48 hours of a 60-day truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and good-faith negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.

 

How has Qatar reacted?

In Doha, the Qatari government reacted with fury, calling the attack reckless and cowardly, and a blatant violation of all international laws and norms.

"While the State of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty," a statement from its foreign ministry said.

Similar statements of outrage came from across the Arab world.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also condemned "this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar".

 

 

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