The Israeli Air Force launched a strike targeting Hamas’ senior leadership at their headquarters in Doha, the Qatari capital, Tuesday, as they were discussing a U.S. peace proposal, according to reports. The Hamas Leader of Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, was present at the meeting, as well as almost all of the remaining leadership of Hamas, including Zaher Jabarin, who leads Hamas in the West Bank, Muhammad Darwish, head of Hamas’s Shura Council, and Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas abroad, the Times of Israel reported.
The airstrikes, dubbed “Operation Summit of Fire” by the Israeli Defense Ministry, were in retaliation for Monday’s terror attack in Jerusalem, where two Palestinian gunmen targeted civilians at a bus stop, killing six, and wounding several others.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet intelligence agency said in a statement on X that they had carried out “a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
A senior Hamas source reportedly told Al Jazeera that al-Hayya and the other members of the Hamas delegation survived an Israeli airstrike. However, Al Jazeera is also reporting that the Hamas leaders are not answering their phones.
Other Arabic media outlets meanwhile are reporting that five people were killed in the blast, but they were only Hamas members, not part of the leadership.
According to those reports, Himam al-Hayya, son of Hamas Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya; Jihad Labad Abu Bilal, Khalil al-Hayya’s office director; and three other Hamas officials—Abdullah Abu Khalil, Moamen Abu Omar, and Ahmad Abu Malek—were killed. Israel remains optimistic that key leaders were killed in the bombing. This story will be updated as more information regarding fatalities comes in.
Today’s missile strikes came two days after President Trump issued the following warning to Hamas in Truth Social:
A White House official confirmed that Israel notified the United States before it carried out airstrikes.
“We were informed in advance,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity about the strike on Qatar, a key US ally that’s home to a large US military base.
The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement taking full responsibility for the strike: “Today’s operation against Hamas terror leaders was a completely independent Israeli operation,” Netanyahu stated. “Israel initiated it, Israel managed it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
According to a joint statement issued by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, the strike against Hamas leadership in Doha was a response to a terrorist attack in Jerusalem on Monday.
Two Palestinian gunmen killed six people and wounded several others in a shooting attack at a bus stop in Jerusalem Monday Morning.
Yesterday, after the murderous attacks in Jerusalem and Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed all security agencies to prepare for the possibility of thwarting the leaders of Hamas. The Defense Minister fully supported this proposal. This afternoon, in light of an operational opportunity, and in consultation with all heads of the defense establishment and with full backing, the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister decided to carry out the instruction given last night to the IDF and the Shin Bet, and they did so in a precise and optimal manner.
The Prime Minister and the Defense Minister believed that the action was completely justified in light of the fact that this Hamas leadership was the one who initiated and organized the October 7 massacre, and has not stopped launching murderous actions against the State of Israel and its citizens since then, including taking responsibility for the murder of our citizens in yesterday’s attack in Jerusalem.
The Hamas terrorists were meeting in Doha to discuss a ceasefire agreement that was presented last week by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The proposal called for “a negotiated end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza once the hostages are released and a ceasefire is established,” Egyptian and Hamas officials familiar with the talks told the Associated Press.
More than ten Israeli Air Force fighter jets reportedly “dropped over ten munitions in the strike on Hamas’s leadership in Qatar,” hitting the building where Hamas leaders were believed to have been gathered.
The Qatari government condemned what it called a “cowardly Israeli attack” on Hamas’ headquarters in Doha.
“This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar,” the Qatari government said in a statement. “It will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior, which continuously undermines the region’s security, or any action targeting its security and sovereignty.”
Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s strike on Qatar as a “blatant violation” of international laws and norms.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces, in the strongest possible terms, the brutal Israeli aggression and the blatant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar,” Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, Tuesday. “The Kingdom affirms its full solidarity and support for Qatar, placing all its capabilities at its disposal to assist in any measures it may take, while warning of the grave consequences of the Israeli occupation’s persistent criminal assaults and its blatant violations of the principles of international law and all international norms.”
Iran put out a statement condemning the attack, calling the bombing of the negotiating team “a dangerous escalation to simmering Middle East tensions”
The bombing was also condemned by the United Arab Emirates, who described the bombing as “a dangerous assault on international law” and an “irresponsible escalation.”
The Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad said it holds Trump responsible for Israel’s “unbridled behavior.”
The strike on the American ally and mediator in the Israel and Hamas conflict in Gaza, is considered a significant escalation in Israel’s campaign against the terrorists, and an unraveling of negotiations aimed at ending the war and releasing Israeli hostages.
A “senior defense official” however said in a statement sent out to reporters that the Israeli airstrike today may bring about an end to the war in the Gaza Strip.
“The beheading of Hamas’s leadership today in Qatar is a brilliant and powerful operation carried out by the IDF and the Shin Bet in accordance with the directive of the prime minister and defense minister,” the official said.
He added that today’s strike “constitutes a significant step in the victory over the Hamas terror organization, delivers justice to those responsible for the October 7 massacre, and strengthens Israel’s deterrent image, and may also generate a change of direction that will bring an end to the war in Gaza under the conditions set by the State of Israel, foremost among them the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.”
“This is also a message to the residents of Gaza that the time has come to rebel against the weakened Hamas and to act to end the war,” the official said.
Speaking at a US Embassy event in Jerusalem following the airstrike, Netanyahu stated that “the days are over when terror leaders will enjoy immunity in a particular place.”