The Israeli military says it took out senior leadership of Hamas that was living safely in Qatar, away from the military offensive being waged against Hamas in Gaza since its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
In a “precise strike,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) struck deep into the heart of Hamas’s leadership — not in Gaza, but in the plush Katara neighborhood of Doha, Qatar, a longtime haven for the terror group’s senior command.
Among those reportedly targeted: Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy to former Gaza Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and head of Hamas’s negotiation team; Zaher Jabarin, a key figure in Hamas’s military wing; and others including Hussam Badran, Taher al-Nono, and Ali Darwish — all known operatives tied to the planning and execution of the October 7 massacre that left over 1,200 Israelis dead.
The IDF released this statement:
The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization. For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence. The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.
????JUST IN: First footage from Doha, the capital of Qatar https://t.co/N4LXArfZ5J pic.twitter.com/BI3jc36WXf
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) September 9, 2025
Qatar responded on Tuesday by condemning the attack, calling it a “blatant violation of all international laws and norms.”
Amid speculation about United States involvement in the strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “wholly independent Israeli operation.”
“Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation,” Netanyahu said. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
The attack comes just days after the United States indicated it was running out of patience with the terrorist group. On Sunday, President Donald Trump gave his final warning to Hamas, writing on Truth Social: “I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting.”
The Hamas terror masterminds had been living comfortably in Qatar, a country that openly harbors Hamas leaders, funds their operations, and maintains warm ties with Iran — the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Mashal — chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 until May 2017, when he was succeeded by Haniyeh — and Moussa Abu Marzouk — all with blood on their hands — had maintained a political base in Doha, where they celebrated the October 7 atrocities from afar.
Hamas leaders on October 7 were praying in Doha, Qatar while watching the massacre unfolding on television. I suspect some of these leaders were targeted today by Israel. pic.twitter.com/z2zBxoiHBa
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) September 9, 2025
Back in 2017, U.S. lawmakers raised the alarm about Qatar’s terror ties. Former congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) blasted the Gulf state for acting as a revolving door for Hamas, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda-linked financiers. “Qatar has openly housed Hamas leaders… and has failed to prosecute them,” she warned, citing evidence of financial support even to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11.
Former Treasury official David Cohen echoed those concerns, describing Qatar as a “permissive terrorist financing environment,” where fundraisers for groups like Hamas and ISIS operated freely — often as local agents of broader networks stretching into Kuwait.
Despite claiming to serve as a “moderating force,” Qatar has pumped billions of dollars to Hamas. Some of that money has been used to buy fuel from Egypt — fuel Hamas then resells to fund its terror machine. Other funds have gone directly into paying Hamas’s so-called “civil workers” in Gaza.
The death of Haniyeh — Hamas’s political bureau chief — in a July 2024 bombing in Tehran underscored the tangled web of alliances between Hamas, Iran, and Qatar.
Qatar’s role as a safe harbor for terrorists has long been an open secret. Now, with strikes reaching Doha, it may finally be on notice: harboring terrorists comes at a cost.