On the afternoon of 9/9, Qatar's capital, Doha, was rocked by a surprise attack. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) carried out an airstrike targeting a compound believed to be hosting a meeting of high-ranking Hamas officials, located in a densely populated residential area.

Israel has conducted numerous bold raids and assassinations targeting political leaders across the Middle East in recent months, but it has never before struck a target within the sovereign territory of Qatar, a close US ally in the region.

Black smoke rises after the Israeli strike in Doha on 9/9. Photo: AP

Black smoke rises after the Israeli strike in Doha on 9/9. Photo: AP

According to senior Israeli officials cited by Reuters, one of Tel Aviv's intended targets was Khalil al-Hayya, the Hamas leader in Gaza and head of the ceasefire negotiation delegation in Doha.

The attack came shortly after the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, claimed responsibility for a shooting that killed 6 people at a bus station outside Jerusalem on 8/9. According to two officials in Tel Aviv, Israeli intelligence had identified the targeted building as a frequent meeting place for the Hamas leadership, even giving it the codename "Judgment Day."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel "takes full responsibility" for the unprecedented airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar. "Today's action against Hamas leaders is an entirely independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel carried it out, and Israel takes full responsibility," he emphasized.

He also revealed that he ordered preparations for the operation following the Jerusalem shooting and an attack on an Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip that killed 4 soldiers. Identifying a suitable "operational opportunity" at noon on 9/9, the Prime Minister and Defense Minister Israel Katz gave the IDF the "green light" to execute the strike.

Videos from the scene showed black smoke billowing from a compound next to a Woqod gas station on Wadi Rawdan Road, near the West Bay Lagoon district, north of central Doha. Witnesses reported hearing several loud explosions.

According to Israeli media, 15 fighter jets participated in the operation, firing over 10 missiles. The aircraft required mid-air refueling for the long-range attack, and all targeted a single location in Doha.

CNN, citing two Israeli sources, reported that military officials had been preparing the operation for months, but the planning process accelerated in recent weeks.

People flee as Israel strikes Hamas targets in Doha, Qatar, on 9/9. Video: NY Post

A spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the attack targeted residential buildings housing members of the Hamas political office. He also noted that Qatar was not informed in advance of Israel's plans, adding that they only learned of the attack from a US official at the time of the strike.

According to an anonymous Qatari official, Hamas representatives met with the Qatari Prime Minister on 8/9 to discuss President Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal for Gaza. The group planned to meet again on 9/9 in Doha to continue discussions on the proposal.

In a statement following the attack, Hamas confirmed that its senior members were targeted while discussing the US President's proposal. "Such cowardly assassination attempts will not change our stance and clear demands," the group asserted.

Hamas has declared it will only agree to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if Israel fully withdraws its troops and allows unrestricted aid into the area. Prime Minister Netanyahu, meanwhile, has said Israel is ready to end its campaign if Hamas releases all remaining hostages, disarms, and demilitarizes the Gaza Strip—conditions Hamas publicly opposes.

The group acknowledged that 5 members were killed in the Israeli airstrike, including the son of chief negotiator al-Hayya. However, Hamas maintained that its senior leaders survived and that Tel Aviv failed in its attempt to eliminate the entire negotiating delegation.

"There is no doubt that the attack is evidence that Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government do not want to achieve any peace agreement," a Hamas representative said.

President Trump stated that he tried to prevent the Israeli attack but "unfortunately it was too late." "I consider Qatar a strong ally and friend of the US, and I feel terrible about the location of the attack," the US President said, but emphasized that eliminating Hamas remained a "worthy goal."

Israeli officials have long threatened to take down Hamas leaders linked to the October 2023 incursion into Israeli territory, the event that sparked the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

A week earlier, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israeli military, hinted that Tel Aviv was not only focused on attacking Hamas in the Gaza Strip but also targeting its senior members in wider areas.

A building in Doha damaged after the Israeli strike. Photo: Reuters

A building in Doha damaged after the Israeli strike. Photo: Reuters

"We are operating throughout the Middle East. Hamas will have nowhere to hide. Wherever we find them, whether high-ranking or low-ranking, we will attack them all, at any time," he declared.

In May, Defense Minister Katz personally issued a warning to al-Hayya, who frequently visits Qatar. In a post on X, Israeli President Isaac Herzog described targeting the Hamas leadership as "important and correct." He later condemned al-Hayya but did not confirm whether the Hamas official was a direct target.

Israel's latest strike on Qatar is the first known attack against an Arab Gulf state. Analysts assess that the move poses significant risks to ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and raises concerns among Arab nations about security commitments from the US, a close ally of Israel.

Location of the airstrike in Doha, Qatar, on 9/9. Graphic: BBC

Location of the airstrike in Doha, Qatar, on 9/9. Graphic: BBC

"I wouldn't be surprised if this incident leads to a deadlock in the reconciliation process," said Hasan AlHasan, a senior fellow on Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, UK.

"The entire diplomatic structure we have built has just collapsed," observed Ghaith al-Omari, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Israel's willingness to strike the Qatari capital, disregarding international norms and rules, could also undermine its long-standing efforts to build relationships with Arab Gulf states, which it views as potential allies against Iran.

"The strike further deepens the perception in the region that Israel is becoming a destabilizing factor," al-Omari said.

Vu Hoang (CNN, BBC, Washington Post, Reuters, AFP)