Israel carried out an unprecedented attack targeting Hamas leadership in Qatar on Tuesday.
A senior official in Israel said that the target of the strike was chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya and that the operation killed five Hamas members, but failed to kill the negotiation team. Al-Hayya was not named among the dead, but his son and one of the directors were assassinated. Hamas and Qatar said a Qatari security official was also killed.
At a press conference, the prime minister of Qatar described the strike as state terrorism.
“This is a message to th eentire region; that there is a rogue player in the region,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said.
Majed Al Ansari, the Qatari foreign ministry’s spokesperson issued his own statement calling Israel irresponsible for the attack.
“While strongly condemning this attack, the State of Qatar emphasizes that it will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior,” Al Ansari said on X.
The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha. This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms,…
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) September 9, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had agreed to a new U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan, adding that the move could help bring the war closer to an end.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the attack opposes the Trump administration’s goals.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and 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,” she said.
However, Leavitt fell short of condemning the strike.
On Truth Social, Donald Trump made sure to announced that the attack was decision made by Netanyahu alone and not by the Trump administration.
The president also noted that Qatar is a “trusted strategic ally” of the United States.
