DOHA, Qatar: In a shocking development, Israel launched a surprise air strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital Doha on Tuesday, killing six people, including the son of the Palestinian group’s lead negotiator in ceasefire talks.
Israel confirmed it carried out a “precise strike” targeting senior Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital.
This marks the first time Israel has conducted a direct strike on Qatari soil, a Gulf state that has long hosted Hamas’s political bureau and served as a neutral mediator.
The incident has not only shaken Doha’s security but also triggered one of the gravest diplomatic crises of the Gaza war.
While Israel has not disclosed the results of the attack, Hamas said its senior leaders survived the air strike, while six others were killed.
Here is a breakdown of the details of the strike on the Gulf state that has served as a key mediator in the Gaza war.
What happened?
The attack occurred at 3:46 pm (1246 GMT) in a residential neighbourhood in north Doha, which is also home to diplomats, foreign dignitaries, embassies, schools and a daycare centre.
Media outlets reported several explosions and thick smoke rising from the area. The strikes targeted a residential building housing Hamas leaders. The area was quickly sealed off by police.
Access to the area remained restricted on Wednesday.
Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political bureau since 2012 — with the support of the United States that has sought to maintain a communication channel with the Palestinian group, according to AFP.
Former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried in the emirate after his assassination in Tehran in July 2024 in an attack attributed to Israel.
His predecessor, Khaled Meshaal, along with Khalil al-Hayya — the movement’s lead negotiator in the Gaza ceasefire talks — are based in the emirate.
Who were the targets?
According to sources cited by AFP, six Hamas leaders — including Hayya, former leader Meshaal and Zaher Jabarin, who heads the Palestinian group in the Israeli-occupied West Bank — were in the building targeted by Israel at the time of the strikes.
A Hamas official, Souheil al-Hindi, stated Tuesday evening that the group was meeting to discuss US President Donald Trump’s latest ceasefire proposal aiming to end the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza.
The Palestinian movement’s leaders survived the attack, he added.
However, five other members were killed, along with a member of Qatar’s security forces, he added.
Who was killed?
The Qatari interior ministry has confirmed the deaths of three people so far — Qatari officer Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari, who was on the premises, Hamam Khalil al-Hayya, son of Hamas’s chief negotiator, and Mumen Hassoun, described by the Palestinian group as a bodyguard.
Hamas announced that three other people were also killed — Jihad Labad, who was director of Khalil al-Hayya’s office, as well as bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk and Abdallah Abdelwahd.
How has Qatar reacted?
Qatar said it was caught off guard by the strike and slammed the attack, calling it a “blatant violation” of its sovereignty.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Wednesday warned his country reserved the right to respond to Israel’s deadly attack on Doha, calling it a “pivotal moment” for the entire region.
“Qatar… reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack,” the Qatari Prime Minister told a press conference.
“We believe that today we have reached a pivotal moment. There must be a response from the entire region to such barbaric actions,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told US President Donald Trump in a phone call that his country will take all necessary measures to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty.
The strike marked the second time the Gulf state had been targeted with a barrage in recent months.
In June, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at the US base following a US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“The Israeli enemy used weapons that were undetectable by radar,” said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
He went on to emphasise that his country was informed by the US only after the attack had already started.
“Statements circulating about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are false. The call received from an American official came as explosions sounded from the Israeli attack in Doha,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari posted on X.
President Trump said he was only informed of the air raid at the last minute.
“I immediately directed special envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack,” Trump said.
Qatar wrote to the UN Security Council on Tuesday that it will “not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour and the ongoing disruption of regional security” following the strikes, which its UN Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani described as “cowardly criminal assault, which constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms.”
