Translated with AI
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on the Qatari capital, Doha, targeting, according to the Israeli military, Hamas leaders. The Qatari Ministry of Interior reported this.
According to Qatari authorities, the attack targeted a building housing Hamas representatives. Preliminary reports indicate that members of the negotiating team were present at the time of the strike, discussing a new US ceasefire proposal for the Gaza Strip with mediators.
Hamas stated that most of the group's leaders, including Khalil al-Hayya, remained alive. However, they reported that the son of one of the leaders, Humam al-Hayya, and his assistant were killed. Israel has not yet provided official information on the operation's results.
The strike came the day after a Palestinian attack in Jerusalem that killed six people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that this attack was the reason for his decision to strike the Qatari capital.
Qatar, a traditional mediator in regional and international negotiations, has found itself at the center of an international crisis. For two decades, Doha has hosted key negotiating processes, from the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan to agreements on Sudan and the hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas.
The international community reacted sharply to the events. Arab states, the UN, France, and the United Kingdom condemned Israel's actions. Pope Leo XIV called the situation "extremely serious." The United States acknowledged that it knew about the planned operation, but President Donald Trump has yet to make a public statement.
Experts believe the Israeli strike sets an unprecedented precedent, calling into question Qatar's security as a neutral negotiating venue. "If Doha is no longer a safe place, then where is it?" noted BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.
Previously, in July 2025, according to British media estimates, Qatar was simultaneously participating in ten mediation processes. Now, observers believe, the country's future as the leading mediator in the Middle East and globally is under threat.
