Qatar has accused Israel of violating international law with its unprecedented airstrikes Tuesday, targeting Hamas leaders in a residential area of Doha.
“This criminal attack constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, and a serious threat to the security and safety of the State of Qatar and its people,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in an update Wednesday. “The Israeli violations and crimes did not stop at the brotherly Palestinian people, but rather extended to the cowardly targeting of residential buildings housing several members of the Hamas movement’s political bureau in Doha.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it tried to “mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence” before carrying out the attack targeting Hamas leaders who were allegedly involved in planning the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“These are the terrorists whose entire aspiration was to be the spearhead for the destruction of the State of Israel — we will continue to carry out our mission everywhere, at every range, near and far, in order to hold our enemies accountable,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement on Tuesday.
Qatar has played a key role as a mediator in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but the escalation onto Qatari soil appeared to disrupt the ongoing efforts.
The White House said Tuesday that President Trump didn’t endorse the strike within the borders of a key U.S. ally in the region and the administration was only made aware after Israel launched the attack.
“I was very unhappy about it, very unhappy about every aspect,” Trump told reporters Tuesday evening.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that the strike was “fully justified given the fact that it was this Hamas leadership that initiated and organized the October 7 massacre, and – since then – has not ceased from launching murderous operations against the State of Israel and its citizens, including taking responsibility for the murder of our citizens in yesterday’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu also confirmed that Israel acted on its own.
“Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” he said in a statement posted on X Tuesday.