Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has condemned Israel’s “reckless criminal attack” in the capital Doha in a phone call with US President Donald Trump.
The attack is “a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and security, and a clear violation of the rules and principles of international law,” Sheikh Tamim said in a statement on Tuesday.
“During the call, the US President affirmed his solidarity with the State of Qatar and his strong condemnation of the attack on its sovereignty, pointing out that diplomatic solutions are capable of resolving outstanding issues in the region.”
At least six people were killed in the first such attack in Qatar, which has been mediating to end Israel’s war in Gaza. Hamas said five people were killed, including the son and aide of its senior leader Khalil al-Hayya, while Qatar said one security officer was among those killed in Tuesday’s bombing.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said that Corporal Bader Saad Mohammed Al-Humaidi al-Dosari, a member of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), was “martyred” while performing his duties. Several security personnel were also injured in the attack, it said in a statement.
Hamas, however, said its leadership, which Israel said it targeted, has survived the assassination bid. It described the attack as “a heinous crime, a blatant aggression, and a flagrant violation of all international norms and laws”.
The Qatari emir called on the international community to hold accountable those involved in committing “rogue actions”, expressing his hope that the United States of America will support this just direction.
The statement said that the US president appreciated the mediation efforts by Qatar, stressing that “Qatar is a reliable strategic ally of the United States of America”, calling on the Qatari leader to continue the efforts to end the war in Gaza.
‘State terrorism’
Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called Israel’s attack “state terrorism”.
Sheikh Mohammed made it clear that the Israeli strikes “must not be overlooked”, saying that Qatar is mobilising all tools to respond to the attack beyond statements and condemnations, including by forming a legal team to hold Israel accountable.
The Qatari prime minister suggested that countries across the Middle East must come together to rein in Israel. “Today, we have reached a turning point for there to be a response from the entire region against such barbaric conduct,” he said.
Earlier, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “in the strongest terms the cowardly Israeli attack” on a residential building housing Hamas leaders in Doha, calling the assault a “blatant violation of all international laws and norms”.
“The State of Qatar affirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and its continued tampering with regional security, as well as any action targeting its security and sovereignty,” ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a statement on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed in a statement that the Israeli military carried out the attack in Doha against Hamas leaders on Tuesday.
“Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation,” Netanyahu said in a social media post. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
How has Washington responded?
In a midday news briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the Trump administration was notified by the US military that Israel was attacking Hamas, adding that President Donald Trump instructed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar of the attack — a claim Qatar strongly denies.
“The statements being circulated about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are baseless,” al-Ansari said of Levitt’s claims that Washington informed Qatar of Israel’s strike before it happened. “The communication received from one of the American officials came during the sound of explosions resulting from the Israeli attack in Doha.”
Trump spoke with Netanyahu after the attack in Doha. Levitt would not answer questions on whether Trump is upset with Israel’s actions.
Trump later said he felt “very badly about the location of the attack” and that he had assured Qatar that it would not happen again.
“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
Hamas leadership survives assassination bid
Explosions were reported in Doha in the first such attack by Israel in Qatar, a key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and home to the region’s largest US military base, Al Udeid airbase, which hosts US troops.
The attack came as negotiators from Hamas were meeting to consider the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from the United States, a Hamas source told Al Jazeera.
“Qatar has positioned itself in the middle of all these conflicts, not being a party to any single one of them but rather trying to mend fences,” Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reported from Doha, adding “and that is precisely what the Qataris were doing.”
“This is not a country at war,” Bin Javaid reported, stressing that Qatar does not “pose a danger to any of those warring sides. This is a country that is trying to establish peace.”
“This came as a surprise for a lot of people here,” Bin Javaid said.
Qatar, along with Egypt, has long acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas during Israel’s nearly two-year-long war on Gaza. The Hamas office was established in the country at the request of the United States to facilitate peace talks.
Israel’s military released a statement on Tuesday saying it and the Shin Bet intelligence service “carried out a targeted attack on the top leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization”.
Residential area targeted
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Doha, said the area targeted in Doha is full of residential units.
“This is a large residential area containing a lot of foreign embassies. Many civilians live here. There’s a Lebanese school that isn’t far from here, and the echoes of the explosions were heard across the city and farther afield,” he said.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim said from Doha that the unprecedented attack on the city, which has hosted negotiations for a potential ceasefire in Gaza, reflected how “emboldened” Israel has become “by being able to carry out a genocide and getting away with it”.
Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said the strike in a third country was similar to Israel’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last year.
Israel has been bombarding Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria as well as carrying out daily attacks in the occupied West Bank in Palestine. It has killed more than 64,000 people in Gaza since launching its brutal military offensive in October 2023.
Its military actions in Gaza have been termed a genocide by numerous rights groups, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for war crimes.
For more coverage of the latest developments in Israel’s 23 months of genocidal war in Gaza, follow Al Jazeera’s live coverage here.
