Israel carried out a strike targeting Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, marking a major escalation. This was seemingly the first time Israel had conducted an airstrike in Qatar, which is home to Al Udeid, the largest US military base in the region.
The strike has enraged Doha and could significantly undermine efforts to secure a truce in Gaza as Israeli forces continue to press forward with a controversial operation in Gaza City. Qatar has played a central role in ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations throughout the war, and much of Hamas’s political leadership has lived in Doha for years. After Tuesday’s attack, Doha announced that it was suspending its mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried the Israeli strike as a blatant violation of international law, stating that the country will “not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour and the continuous tampering with the security of the region.”
The White House was also critical of the Israeli attack, which came as the Trump administration continues efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday during a press briefing.
Though Leavitt said eliminating Hamas was a “worthy goal,” she emphasised that US President Donald Trump views Qatar as a “strong ally and friend” of the United States, adding that he “feels very badly about the location of this attack.”
Arab countries were also quick to condemn the Israeli strike.
The Arab League—which includes Egypt, another key player in Gaza ceasefire talks—issued a statement denouncing the attack, saying that Israel’s “behavior has now gone beyond all established international norms and every principle of international law, placing a clear responsibility on the international community to deal with a state that mocks the law and disregards the consequences of its shameful actions.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “condemns and denounces, in the strongest possible terms, the brutal Israeli aggression and the blatant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar.” The statement went on to say that Riyadh “affirms its full solidarity and support for Qatar, placing all its capabilities at its disposal to assist in any measures it may take,” and warned of “grave consequences of the Israeli occupation’s persistent criminal assaults and its blatant violations of the principles of international law and all international norms.”
Tuesday’s operation reportedly involved more than 10 Israeli fighter jets, which dropped over 10 munitions on a building where Hamas leadership was believed to have gathered.
