Israel affects Hamas officials in Qatar

The Army of Israel said that he had made aerial attacks Tuesday, targeting Hamas’s Senior leaders in the capital Qatari Doha, the seat of several rounds of interviews aimed at ending the Gaza war.

The Qatar, which is also a key ally of the United States, condemned the strikes that according to him has targeted the houses of several members of the Hamas political office residing in the Gulf country, where the senior leadership of the militant group is based.

The strikes were conducted jointly by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet Security Agency, they declared the two organs in a note.

Neither the Israeli officials nor the home media confirmed whether the strikes hit their expected objectives. Hamas did not also comment on the fate of his leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes in response to a Monday shooting in Jerusalem who killed six people and later was claimed by Hamas.

“Yesterday, following the fatal attacks in Jerusalem and Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu commissioned all the security agencies to prepare for the possibility of targeting Hamas leaders,” said a joint declaration by Netanyahu and the defense minister Israel Katz.

“Today at noon (0900 GMT), in the light of an operational opportunity … the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense decided to implement the directive given last night.”

A Hamas official in Gaza told the Fep that the group negotiators had been “targeted”, although it was not immediately clear if the attack had caused victims.

Among the main leaders of Hamas based in Qatar there are the main negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya and the head of the political office Khaled Meshaal.

An official of the White House told AFP that Israel had notified the United States in advance on the Qatar strikes, which houses a large American military base.

But the Netanyahu office said that Israeli strikes were a “totally independent” operation.

A video journalist who works with AFP in Doha has seen a smoking plume that rises from behind a low building.

“The name of the operation in Doha is the top of the fire. These were air attacks,” said an Israeli AFP military official.

‘Flagent violation’
Qatar condemned the attack, saying that he had targeted residential buildings that lived the members of the Hamas political office.

“The state of Qatar strongly condemns the Israeli Coward attack that has targeted residential buildings that housed several members of the Hamas political office in the capital of Qatar, Doha,” said the spokesman for the Majed Al-Ansari Foreign Ministry in a place on X.

It is the first time that Israel has carried out air shots in the state of the gulf supported by the West. From the attack of Hamas in October 2023, he also made strikes in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as in the Palestinian territories.

Doha’s strikes arrive less than two weeks after the head of the armed forces of Israel has promised to hit Hamas leaders abroad.

“Most of Hamas’ leadership is abroad and we also reach them,” said Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on August 31st.

Together with the United States and Egypt, Qatar led multiple attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war, which was unleashed by the attack of the Palestinian militant group of 7 October 2023 in Israel.

Although two temporary three -three three -three three -year -old three -year -olds were sealing with the Palestinian prisoners, the subsequent rounds of interviews were unable to bring the lasting end to the war.

The main Israeli group for the campaign for the release of hostages still held by the Palestinian militants in Gaza expressed “profound concern” following the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders.

“The families of the hostages are following Doha’s developments with deep concern and strong anxiety. A serious fear now hangs from the price that the hostages can pay,” said the hostages and the forum of the missing families.

“Sledgehammer” to diplomacy
The strikes drew condemnation, including the head of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, who condemned Israel’s “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty.

Iran, a key supporter of Hamas, has condemned the attack as “serious violation of all international norms and regulations, a violation of the national sovereignty of Qatar and territorial integrity and an attack on Palestinian negotiators”.

Western allies Saudi Arabia, Jordan and United Arab Emirates have also condemned the attack, among others.

The attack came when Israel intensified a fatal assault in Gaza City, the largest urban center in the Palestinian territory.

It marks a strong escalation on the territory of a state that has been a driving force in the efforts of ceased the fire, with the analysts who warned that it derailed any potential for a respite of Gaza and a hostage release agreement.

“Israel knows exactly what he did. He has just killed the negotiations and any possibility of recovering his hostages,” said Muhammad Shehada, political analyst at the European Council for foreign relations.

“Doha’s office was fundamental for mediation and de-escalation efforts with Hamas … so basically Netanyahu has just brought a club, those decades of diplomacy,” he added.

AFP