Hamas leaders survive Israeli assassination attempt in Doha

Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building at the center of the Qatari capital, Doha, on Tuesday, September 9, where senior leaders of Hamas convened to discuss a new Gaza ceasefire proposal brought forward by US President Donald Trump on Sunday, September 7.

The delegation, which includes senior Hamas leaders and is headed by Khalil al-Hayya, survived the airstrike, according to an official in the Palestinian movement.

However, member of Hamas political bureau, Suhail al-Hindi, told Al Jazeera that the son of Khalil al-Hayya, Humam al-Hayya, and his office director, Jehad Labad, were killed in the attack.

Al-Hindi added that the fate of a number of individuals, who had attended the meeting is still unknown, after the movement lost contact with them.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior announced late Tuesday that Mohammed Al Humaidi Al Dosari, who is a lieutenant colonel with its Internal Security Force, was killed in the aerial raid. Several other security personnel were also injured, according to preliminary reports.

Netanyahu and Katz claim aggression on Doha was a response to Jerusalem attack the day before

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that the aggression on Qatar was launched in response to a shooting attack in occupied Jerusalem, which was carried out by two young Palestinian men near the illegal Israeli settlement of Ramot on Monday, September 8.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, issued a statement shortly before the Qatari capital was attacked by Israel on Tuesday, claiming responsibility for the Jerusalem attack, which left six people dead and 12 others wounded.

Al-Qassam mourned its fighters Muthana Naji Omar (20), and Mohammad Bassam Taha (21), who were shot dead by Israeli police at the site of the attack.

Following the attack, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) imposed collective punishment on thousands of Palestinians residing in the Qatanna and Al-Qubeiba villages of East Jerusalem, the home towns of Omar and Taha. Raids were carried out by the IOF in the two villages, where many people were subjected to interrogation.

Main roads leading to these villages and other nearby villages have been blocked by the IOF, restricting the movement of about 70,000 Palestinians.

Moreover, sanctions will be imposed on the families of the attackers, whose houses will be demolished alongside “any illegal structures” in the two villages, as per Katz’s instructions.

The Israeli defense minister also ordered the cancellation of 750 work and entry permits for residents of Qatanna and Al-Qubeiba, who rely on job opportunities in the territories occupied by Israel since 1948 as a main source of income.

Qatar condemns “cowardly Israeli attack” on its capital

Briefly after the assault took place, the spokesperson of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Majed Al Ansari wrote 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, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.

“The Ministry affirms that the security forces, civil defense, and relevant authorities immediately began addressing the incident and taking necessary measures to contain its repercussions and ensure the safety of the residents and surrounding areas.

“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. Investigations are underway at the highest level, and further details will be announced as soon as they are available.”

US confirms being notified prior to Israel’s attack, which it warned Qatar about 

Several international and Israeli media outlets reported that the Israeli aggression on the Arab country was coordinated or approved by the Trump administration.

The US government has not commented on the attack immediately, but seems to have found itself obliged to provide a statement sooner or later.

The fact that Qatar hosts Al-Udeid Airbase, the largest US military base in the West Asia region, precludes the possibility that Israel would have launched the attack without informing its number one ally in advance.

Furthermore, the US gave the green light for Israel to carry out all its previous operations across the region since the beginning of Trump’s second tenure in January. For many, this makes it hard to believe that the Israeli attack on Doha was not pre-coordinated with the Trump administration.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters late Tuesday that “the Trump administration was notified by the US military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar”.

“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 said.

“However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza is a worthy goal,” she added, suggesting the implicit agreement of the US to the aggression as long as it targeted Hamas leaders.

Leavitt indicated that the US president directed his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to “inform the Qataris of the impending attack”. Yet, she did not touch on Qatar’s reaction, leaving the door open to speculations on whether the Gulf state refrained from preventing the attack from happening.