On September 9, 2025, Israeli missiles hit the capital city of Qatar, Doha, in a surprise attack aimed at Hamas leaders. This was the first time Israel had attacked a Gulf Cooperation Council member country. At least six people died in the strike, including Hamas officials and one Qatari security guard.
The attack hit a housing area in Doha where top Hamas leaders were meeting to talk about a US peace plan for Gaza. Israeli officials said they were trying to kill Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and other senior leaders. But Hamas later said its leadership survived the attack.
According to Al Jazeera, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the attack was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.” Many reports show that the United States only got a few minutes warning before the missiles hit Doha. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump knew about the attack from the US military but Qatar only got a phone call 10 minutes after the bombing started.
Regional allies angry over Israeli strike
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called the attack “state terrorism” and said his country felt “betrayed” by the strike. The attack made many Gulf countries and other regional friends angry. Saudi Arabia called it “brutal Israeli aggression” against the “sisterly State of Qatar,” while the UAE’s president said it was a “criminal” threat to regional stability.
UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres condemned the Israeli attacks in #Qatar as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) September 9, 2025
He called for all parties to work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it. pic.twitter.com/2MPTk7Eqrn
Many people criticized the timing of the strike because it happened while Hamas negotiators were actively talking about Trump’s peace plan. Qatar has been a key middleman in Gaza peace talks, hosting meetings between Israeli officials and Hamas representatives during the whole conflict. The Gulf nation is home to Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest US military base in the Middle East, which houses about 10,000 American troops.
The White House rarely criticizes Israeli actions publicly, but Leavitt said that “bombing inside Qatar, a country that is a close ally of the United States and is working very hard and taking risks with us to make peace, does not help Israel or America’s goals.” Qatar has spent over $8 billion building up Al Udeid Air Base for US use since 2003, according to State Department numbers.
The Gulf Cooperation Council has promised to “turn on joint defense systems” and bring together its military command in Doha after the attack. The GCC’s mutual defense deal says that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Regional experts think the strike could completely change how Gulf countries think about security and their relationships with both Israel and the United States. It’s worth noting that Trump had earlier talked about Iran’s planned attack on the US military base in Qatar, showing that such military actions may involve more complex behind-the-scenes deals than people first think.
