Middle East
Israel launched an airstrike against the leaders of Hamas in Qatar on Tuesday as they gathered to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, drawing condemnation from its allies in Europe and a rare rebuke from the Trump administration. UN chief Antonio Guterres said the Israeli attack was a "flagrant violation" of Qatari sovereignty.
Issued on: 09/09/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Olivia BIZOT
Smoke billows over Doha after Israeli air strikes target Hamas leaders based in the capital of Qatar, a key US ally. © Jacqueline Penney, AFP01:44
Deadly Israeli air strikes targeted senior Hamas leaders in US ally Qatar, the venue of repeated rounds of Gaza peace talks, on Tuesday, drawing codemnation from Israel's allies in Europe and a rare rebuke from President Donald Trump.
The Palestinian militant group said six people were killed in the strikes, including a son of its top negotiator, but that its senior leaders had survived. Qatar said one of its security officers also died.
The White House said President Donald Trump did not agree with Israel's decision to take military action on the US ally's soil and had warned Qatar in advance of the incoming strikes.
But Qatar, which hosts a large US military base, said it had not received the warning from Washington until the attack was already under way.
05:29
Qatar condemned the strikes, which it said targeted the homes of several members of Hamas's political bureau residing in the Gulf country, where the group's leadership is based.
Three bodyguards and negotiator Khalil al-Hayya's aide and son were all killed in the attack, Hamas said, affirming "the enemy's failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation".
Qatar's interior ministry said a member of its internal security forces was killed in the strikes and several other security personnel wounded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes in response to a Monday shooting in Jerusalem that killed six people and was later claimed by Hamas.
"Yesterday, following the deadly attacks in Jerusalem and Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed all security agencies to prepare for the possibility of targeting Hamas leaders," said a joint statement from Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz.
'Flagrant violation'
The reaction from Washington to the attack on its ally was a rare personal rebuke for Israel from Trump.
While eliminating Hamas was a "worthy goal," a strike in the Qatari capital "does not advance Israel or America's goals," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, reading from a statement.
"The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack."
Trump had his envoy notify Qatar of the impending Israeli attack, the White House said, adding that the US president spoke with the leaders of both countries after the strikes.
"President Trump immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did," Leavitt said.
But Qatar said the strikes were already under way when the US official called.
"The call received from an American official came as explosions sounded from the Israeli attack," foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari posted on X.
06:48
It is the first time Israel has carried out air strikes in the Western-backed Gulf state. Since Hamas's October 2023 attack, it has also carried out strikes in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as the Palestinian territories.
Speaking at a US embassy event in Jerusalem later, Netanyahu said "terrorist leaders" would no longer be safe anywhere in the world.
Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has led multiple attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war, which was sparked by the Palestinian militant group's October 2023 attack, and secure the release of the remaining hostages.
The main Israeli group campaigning on behalf of the hostages expressed "deep concern" following the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders.
"The families of the hostages are following the developments in Doha with deep concern and heavy anxiety. A grave fear now hangs over the price that the hostages may pay," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
'Sledgehammer' to diplomacy
The strikes have drawn condemnation, including from UN chief Antonio Guterres, who condemned Israel's "flagrant violation" of Qatari sovereignty.
French President Emmanuel Macron said they were "unacceptable regardless of motive".
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the Israeli attack "not only violates Qatar's territorial sovereignty, but also jeopardises all of our efforts to secure the release of the hostages".
02:59
It marked a sharp escalation on the territory of a state that has been a driving force in ceasefire efforts.
Netanyahu insisted that a hostage release proposal that US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday without giving any details could yet end the war if Hamas accepted its terms.
"If President Trump's proposal is accepted, the war can end immediately," he said.
But analysts warned that the strikes had likely derailed any potential for a Gaza truce.
"Israel knows exactly what it just did. It just killed the negotiations and any chance of getting its hostages back," said Muhammad Shehada, a political analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Issued on: 09/09/2025 - FRANCE24
Explosions shook the Qatari capital, Doha, on September 9 after what officials described as an Israeli strike on senior Hamas political leaders, local media reported.
Plumes of smoke were seen rising above the city, prompting sharp condemnation from Qatar's Emir and Iran.
An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the operation, describing it as a “precise strike targeting the senior Hamas leadership,” though without specifying the exact location. A senior Israeli official later told the Walla news outlet that the strike indeed targeted Hamas figures in Doha.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet internal security agency said, “The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organisation. For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organisation's operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7th massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel.”
Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence. The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organisation responsible for the October 7th massacre.
A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the strike hit while the group’s negotiators were discussing US President Donald Trump’s recent proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as a “blatant violation of international law,”
Iran denounced the strike as a dangerous escalation, with foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei saying, “This action by the Israeli regime is a continuation of the crimes it has committed by violating all norms and international rules," he said.
He added, "This action is extremely dangerous and criminal; a blatant violation of all international laws and regulations, an infringement of Qatar’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and an attack on Palestinian negotiators.”
Talks to bring an end to the nearly two-year conflict in Gaza have reached a pivotal point, with US President Donald Trump pressing both Israel and Hamas to strike a deal on a ceasefire and prisoner swap.
During a visit on September 8 to the scene of a bus attack in Jerusalem that left six Israelis dead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to pursue those behind the violence and defeat the country’s adversaries.
Since Hamas assaulted Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran and its allied groups across the region have repeatedly come under pressure and sustained heavy losses on the broader confrontation with their long-standing rival.
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