Israel launched an attack on the leadership of Hamas in Qatar, in a unilateral move the White House said did not advance Israeli or American goals in trying to bring an end to the Middle East conflict.
Qatar, which has been mediating between Hamas and Israel, condemned the attack as “cowardly” and a flagrant violation of international law.
“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,” said its foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari.
Hamas, which said it holds the US jointly responsible for the attack, has said five of its members were killed, including the son of the militant group’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya.
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Earlier, Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera TV that the group’s top leadership survived the Israeli attack.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he ordered security forces to prepare to target Hamas leaders after deadly attacks by two Palestinian gunmen in Jerusalem on Monday. Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the shooting at a bus stop.
He said the strike against “top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation”.
“Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” he said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt referred to the strike as an “unfortunate incident” and said Mr Trump “feels very badly” about the location of the attack.
“The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack,” Ms Leavitt said, adding that president Donald Trump spoke with Mr Netanyahu and the emir and prime minister of Qatar following the attack.
“However, eliminating Hamas who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza is a worthy goal,” she said. “President Trump wants all of the hostages in Gaza, the bodies of the dead, released and this war to end now.”
Ms Leavitt said the White House was notified shortly before the strike by the US military that Israel was attacking Hamas. She said Mr Trump directed US special envoy Steve Witkoff to notify the Qataris of the pending attack, which he did.
Mr Trump assured the Qatari leader such an attack would not happen again on his soil, Ms Leavitt said.
Several blasts were heard in Doha on Tuesday, according to witnesses.
Plumes of black smoke were billowing from the city’s Legtifya petrol station. Right next door to the petrol station is a small residential compound that has been guarded by Qatar’s emiri guard 24 hours a day since the beginning of the Gaza conflict.
The United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, said the strikes are a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar”.
He said Qatar has been playing a very positive role to try and achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
Regional power Saudi Arabia denounced the “brutal” attack on Doha and warned of “dire consequences” of Israel’s “persistence in its criminal violations”. Egypt said the attack set a dangerous precedent.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry described Israel’s attack as “dangerous” and a “violation to international law”.
The United Arab Emirates foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the strike was a dangerous escalation that violates international law and the sovereignty of a fellow Gulf state. The UAE stands in full solidarity with Qatar and supports all measures to protect its security, he said.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said: “The targeting of the Hamas negotiating delegation while ceasefire talks continue shows that Israel does not aim to reach peace, but rather continue the war.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he is “deeply concerned” about the attack, which “risks further destablising a fragile region, making a ceasefire in Gaza even more difficult to secure”.
“It represents a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity ... This is a time for all with influence to use it to maximum effect to avoid escalation and to work to secure an immediate ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages,” Mr Martin said.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said he is “seriously concerned” by the news from Qatar, which has been playing a “very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and the release of all hostages”.
The Israel Defense Forces said measures were taken to mitigate harm to civilians ahead of the “precise strike”. —Reuters
