In the Qatari capital Doha, Israel carried out an attack on a residential complex, which the Israeli military called a “highly precise operation.” Six people were martyred in this attack, including 5 Palestinians and one Qatari officer.
Hamas has confirmed that its senior leaders remained safe in this attack, although many of them were directly targeted.
Khalil al-Hayya, born in Gaza in 1960, is among the founding members of Hamas and is currently living in exile in Doha. He is an important negotiator of the organization and has emerged prominently in recent years after the martyrdom of several major leaders.
Al-Hayya is a member of Hamas’s 5-member leadership council, established in late 2024 to run the organization during the war. While living in Qatar, he participated in negotiations with Egypt, Israel, and the United States, aimed at advancing matters such as ceasefire or prisoner exchanges.
In 2014, his son Osama, daughter-in-law, and 3 grandchildren were martyred in an Israeli attack. In yesterday’s attack, another son of his, Humam al-Hayya, was also martyred.
Who was martyred?
According to Hamas and Qatari officials, the following individuals were martyred in the attack:
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Humam al-Hayya – son of Khalil al-Hayya
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Jihad Labad – Director of al-Hayya’s office
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Abdullah Abdul Waheed – Guard
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Mu’min Hassouneh – Guard
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Ahmad al-Mamlouk – Guard
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Qatari Corporal Badr Saad Muhammad al-Humaidi al-Dosari – officer of Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya)
The actual target of the Israeli attack was the senior Hamas leadership present in Doha at the time, but all of them survived. These included Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator; Zaher Jabarin, head of financial affairs and member of the leadership council; Khaled Meshaal, former political chief; long-time Qatar resident Muhammad Darwish; leadership council head Mousa Abu Marzouk; Izzat al-Risheq; Razi Hamad; and Taher al-Nounou, along with other senior leaders.
All these leaders had gathered in a residential complex where discussions were taking place on a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal.
After the war that began in October 2023 and the martyrdom of several central figures during subsequent Israeli operations, Hamas established a temporary 5-member leadership council. This included Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Khaled Meshaal, Muhammad Darwish, and Nizar Awadallah.
In addition, inside Gaza, the military leadership is now held by Izz al-Din al-Haddad, whom Israel considers the main planner of the October 7 attacks. Qatar has confirmed the martyrdom of its officer and has strongly condemned the attack.
