DOHA, September 11 — Israeli fighter jets struck the Qatari capital Tuesday in a rare attack on foreign soil, targeting senior Hamas leaders during ongoing ceasefire negotiations. The assault killed six people, including a Qatari security officer, and triggered sharp condemnation from across the region.
The operation, which Israel admitted to carrying out, reportedly sought to eliminate Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s exiled Gaza leader and chief negotiator. Al-Hayya, who has risen in rank following the assassinations of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last year, survived the strike.
“Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement shortly after the attack. Israeli media reported that 15 fighter jets dropped 10 bombs while drones provided surveillance.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani called the strike “state terrorism,” promising a firm response. “This must not be overlooked,” he said.
The assault came as Doha was mediating ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, with discussions centered on a U.S. proposal. Analysts said the timing threatened to derail negotiations and raised fresh questions about coordination between Washington and Tel Aviv, particularly as Qatar hosts the United States’ largest military base in the region.
Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 64,600 people and wounded over 163,000, according to Palestinian health authorities. The Hamas delegation in Doha was reportedly meeting to consider U.S. President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan when the airstrike occurred.
The targeting of Hamas’s political leadership in Doha, where its office has been based since 2012 at the request of the United States, was viewed as a sharp escalation. “Attacking Hamas leaders on Qatari soil during peace talks is without precedent,” one regional analyst said. “It undermines Qatar’s role as mediator and risks a wider diplomatic rupture.”
Confusion followed the attack, with speculation over whether the U.S. had advance knowledge. Neither Washington nor Doha clarified the matter, though Qatari officials insisted their mediation efforts would continue.
