In “a mockery of international law,” per one expert, Israel has bombed the residence of Hamas officials negotiating peace in Doha, Qatar.
By Nick Turse, Reposted from The Intercept, September 09, 2025
The Israeli Military says it has carried out an assassination attempt on top Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital, Doha, where multiple explosions have been heard.
This appears to undercut Israel’s claims to be earnestly negotiating a ceasefire in the Gaza war with the people it has attempted to assassinate and could mark a further escalation of regional conflict.
“Striking the party you claim to be negotiating a ceasefire with — in the midst of those negotiations — is proof positive that Israel is not negotiating in good faith, and that Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to prioritize his own political coalition over Palestinian lives, or for that matter even the lives of Israeli hostages in Gaza,” said Josh Paul, who spent more than 11 years as the director of congressional and public affairs at the State Department bureau that oversees arms transfers to foreign nations before resigning in 2023 over U.S. military assistance to Israel.
“But more than that, striking the sovereign territory of a third country during peacetime is an act of war that makes a mockery of international law, further destabilizes the region, and means the chances of a peaceful Israeli integration into the Middle East are all the more distant,” Paul said.
The Qatari foreign ministry said that Israel targeted a residential complex where senior Hamas politicians lived. Qatar agreed to host an office for Hamas at the request of the United States, to facilitate peace talks, Qatari officials have said in the past.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the attack “a wholly independent Israeli operation” aimed at killing “the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas.” The statement continued: “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
Qatar had been considered neutral ground and a safe zone for negotiations because Doha has a relationship with the Israeli government. Senior Israeli officials have repeatedly traveled to the Qatari capital for talks with Qatari leaders about securing the release of hostages in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Israel has since attacked Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, and now Qatar.
“As we have seen consistently since October 7th, Israel has little hesitation when it comes to expanding its war beyond Gaza — this follows a series of Israeli attacks in Syria, the major strike on the Houthi government in Yemen, continuing strikes on Lebanon even after the ceasefire, and of course the unprecedented campaign on sites in Iran,” said Emily Tripp, the executive director of Airwars, a U.K.-based airstrike monitoring organization.
Qatar condemned the attack. An unidentified senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the attack occurred while a team was discussing President Donald Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials.
Israeli issued an evacuation order for Gaza City on September 09, showering Palestinians living in the ruins of their homes with leaflets that said its military was preparing to obliterate the area.
The U.S. Embassy in the Qatari capital issued a shelter-in-place alert for all U.S. citizens due to “missile impacts in Doha.”
Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari called the attack a “criminal assault” and a “blatant violation” of international law. “The State of Qatar strongly condemns this attack and affirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and the continuous tampering with the security of the region and any action aimed at its security and sovereignty,” he said in a statement.
Nick Turse is a national security fellow for The Intercept, reporting on national security and foreign policy.
Trump says strike on Doha ‘does not advance Israel or America’s goals’
By Nadine Yousif, Reposted from The BBC, September 09, 2025
US President Donald Trump has said Israel’s strike on Hamas targets in Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”, adding that he feels “very badly” about the location of the attack.
In a Truth Social post on September 09, Trump said he was notified that Israel was attacking Hamas in the capital Doha by the US military, but it was “unfortunately, too late to stop the attack”.
“This was a decision made by [Israel’s] Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” he said, before praising Qatar as a “strong ally and friend”.
Six people were killed in the strike, Hamas said, including one member of the Qatari security forces, but the group said its leadership team survived.
The Israeli military said it had conducted a “precise strike” targeted at Hamas senior leaders using “precise munitions”. Israeli media reported the operation involved 15 Israeli fighter jets, which fired 10 munitions against a single target.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he authorized the strike and there would be “no immunity” for Hamas leaders.
In his statement on September 09, President Trump issued a rare rebuke of Netanyahu. “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,” he wrote.
In later remarks, Trump said he was “very unhappy about the way that it went down”, telling reporters: “I’m not thrilled about the whole situation.”
He called for the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and said he would issue “a full statement” on September 10, adding: “I’m never surprised by anything, especially when it comes to the Middle East”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that “The president also spoke to the emir and prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship to our country.”
“He assured them that such a thing would not happen again on their soil,” she added.
Trump’s post said, however, that “eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal” and reiterated that he wants “ALL of the hostages, and the bodies of the dead released and this War to END, NOW!”.
The attack took place on the afternoon of September 09, with footage showing a badly damaged building in Doha.
Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the strike “in the strongest possible terms,” and said the attack was a “blatant violation” of international law.
It was later said that Qatari officials were not notified of the Israeli strike ahead of time.
“The communication received from one of the US officials came during the sound of explosions,” said Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari in a post on X.
Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political bureau since 2012 and played a key role in facilitating indirect negotiations between the group and Israel since the 7 October attacks.
It has also been a close ally of the US. Around 10,000 American troops are stationed at a US airbase in al-Udeid, just outside Doha. In May, Trump announced a “historic” economic agreement signed between the two countries that he said is valued at least $1.2 trillion (£890bn).
Qatar has also recently gifted Trump a plane – valued at $400m – as an “unconditional gift” to be used as the new Air Force One, the official aircraft of the US president.
Hamas said their negotiating team in Doha survived the September 09 attack, adding that the action “confirms beyond doubt that Netanyahu and his government do not want to reach any agreement” for peace.
It said it holds the US administration “jointly responsible” due to its ongoing support of Israel.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu put out a statement shortly after the strike, which said the attack was “a wholly independent Israeli operation”.
“Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” the statement said.
A few days prior to the attack, Hamas said it welcomed “some ideas” from the US on how to reach a Gaza ceasefire, and that it was discussing how to turn them “into a comprehensive agreement”.
In its statement, the White House said Trump believes the “unfortunate” attack “could serve as an opportunity for peace,” and that Netanyahu had expressed to him after the attack that “he wants to make peace and quickly”.
Nadine Yousef is a reporter for The BBC.
Israel’s attack in Qatar infuriated Trump advisers, officials say
By Barak Ravid, Reposted from Axios, September 09, 2025
On Tuesday (September 09) morning, the U.S. military spotted Israeli jets flying east toward the Gulf. The U.S. sought clarification, but by the time Israel provided it, missiles were already in the air, three U.S. officials say.
- Their target was a meeting of Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Behind the scenes: The news stunned the White House and infuriated some of Trump’s top advisers because it came as the U.S. was waiting for Hamas to respond to President Trump’s new proposal for peace in Gaza.
- In fact, the Hamas officials were meeting to discuss that proposal. The White House expected to receive Hamas’ response by the end of the week.
- Qatar became the seventh country Israel has bombed since Oct. 7, 2023.
What they’re saying: President Trump told reporters on Tuesday (September 09) evening that he “is not thrilled” about the Israeli strike in Qatar.
How it happened: Once Trump was briefed on the imminent strike, he instructed White House envoy Steve Witkoff to notify the Qataris. A U.S. official said by the time Witkoff reached them, the bombs had already hit their target.
- On September 08, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top adviser, Ron Dermer, met in Miami with Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Although Dermer was in the know, he didn’t say anything about the plans to strike Qatar, according to a source with direct knowledge.
- On September 09, Trump called Netanyahu, expressed concern about the attack, and stressed the need to move toward peace in the region, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. She added that Netanyahu responded that he wants peace and that he thinks this attack could help achieve it.
- Trump also called the emir and prime minister of Qatar and vowed to ensure such a strike on Qatari soil will not happen again in the future, Leavitt said.
Friction point: Qatar is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, and since Trump returned to office, it has significantly increased its cooperation with the U.S. on key issues, including the war in Gaza.
- “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the U.S. that is working very hard and bravely and taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel’s or America’s goals. However, eliminating Hamas, which has profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal,” Leavitt said in Tuesday’s (September 09) press briefing.
- She stressed that Trump sees Qatar as a strong ally and “feels very badly” that the strike took place in Doha. “President Trump wants all the hostages in Gaza and the bodies of the dead released and this war to end now,” Leavitt said.
- The strike in Doha took place not far from the biggest U.S. military base in the region, which only a few months ago was attacked by Iran in response to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
- U.S. officials were particularly upset that they were notified so late that they had no opportunity to weigh in on Israel’s plans.
The latest: Trump wrote on Truth Social: “This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me.”
- He added that he directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to finalize a U.S.-Qatar defense agreement.
Driving the news: Hamas said five of its members were killed, but none of its top leaders. An Israeli intelligence official claimed “the entire Hamas A-list was in the building” that was struck.
- Qatar’s Interior Ministry said a member of its internal security force was killed.
Barak Ravid is a political reporter and Middle East expert for Axios, covering foreign policy and the 2024 election.
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