The main purpose of Israel’s attack on Qatar’s capital, Doha, was to target Hamas leaders who were reportedly there for negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire proposal.
In the airstrike on Tuesday, a residential complex was targeted. According to reports, six people were killed in the attack—five Palestinians and one Qatari official.
It is evident that, despite its all-out efforts and use of brutal force, the Israeli military has failed to eliminate Hamas’s resistance in Gaza. Since the beginning of the recent conflict, Israel has been targeting Hamas leadership, and the attack on Doha appears to be part of this ongoing policy.
As per media reports, 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.
As per a BBC report, Qatar has acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas and has hosted negotiations between them since October 2023.
A couple of days ago, Hamas said it welcomed “some ideas” from the US about how to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement that it received through mediators. It said it was in discussion about how to turn them “into a comprehensive agreement that meets the needs of our people”.
Who was martyred?
According to Hamas and Qatari officials, the following individuals were martyred in the attack:
- Humam al-Hayya – son of Khalil al-Hayya
- Jihad Labad – Director of al-Hayya’s office
- Abdullah Abdul Waheed – Guard
- Mu’min Hassouneh – Guard
- Ahmad al-Mamlouk – Guard
- Qatari Corporal Badr Saad Muhammad al-Humaidi al-Dosari – officer of Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya)
