The US has joined members of the UN Security Council in expressing "deep concern" and emphasising "de-escalation" following Israel’s airstrike targeting Hamas in Doha.
The Security Council statement did not mention Israel by name, but conveyed solidarity with Qatar and the "vital role" it's played in mediating peace efforts in recent years.
President Donald Trump has walked a delicate line between two major allies following the Israeli attack, saying the unilateral action "did not advance Israel or America's goals". He has said he's "not thrilled about it" but also suggested that "this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace."
Mr Trump is expected to meet Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani this evening in New York before Doha hosts an emergency Arab-Islamic summit over the weekend.
The Qatari prime minister has said Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” of a deal to release all the Israeli hostages in Gaza when he ordered an airstrike on Doha.
He called the airstrike an act of “state terror”.Hamas said Israel’s attack missed all its top negotiators, though five of its members were killed, including the son of exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya.
Before and after satellite images show impact of Israeli airstrike on Qatar
Israel ‘killed any hope’ for hostages with attack on Doha, says Qatari prime minister
Will Qatar regret gifting $400m ‘palace in the sky’ jet to Trump after Israel’s attack in Doha?
Mapped: All the countries Israel has attacked in the Middle East since 7 October Hamas massacre
Key Points
- US joins Security Council's condemnation of Doha attack
- Qatar's premier vows not to abandon negotiation efforts
- Trump to meet Qatar's PM today
- Netanyahu rules out Palestinian state
- Qatar urges UAE to shut its Tel Aviv embassy - report
Friday's death toll rises to 36 in Gaza
09:56 , Harriette BoucherAt least 36 people have died in Israeli attacks on Gaza today, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Among the casualties are 14 civilians who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a house in Al-Tuwam, north of Gaza City.
Four Palestinians also died after Israeli struck the Jabalia al-Nazla area in the northern Gaza Strip, and two Palestinians were killed after a Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, was targeted.
Trump and aides 'so frustrated' with Netanyahu - report
09:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS President Donald Trump and his national security aides have reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu following Israel's attack on Qatar.
“Every time they’re making progress, it seems like he bombs someone,” a person close to the president’s national security team told Politico, referring to the Israeli prime minister.
"That’s why the president and his aides are so frustrated with Netanyahu," the source added.
Qatar's prime minister to meet top US officials today
08:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarQatar's prime minister will meet top US officials today and is expected to discuss an Israeli attack in Qatar and the status of talks for a ceasefire in Gaza, which has been under a mounting Israeli assault.
Prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani will meet US secretary of state Marco Rubio at the White House in Washington, the State Department announced yesterday.
He is expected to also meet president Donald Trump, vice president JD Vance and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Bibi pushes settlement expansion plan in West Bank
07:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarBenjamin Netanyahu has formally pushed ahead with a settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank in an attempt to make any viable Palestinian state impossible.
He signed an agreement to press forward with the E1 project, which is 12sqkm of land east of Jerusalem, that would effectively fragment the West Bank.
The plan, if realised, would bisect Palestinian territory and encroach further into what many Palestinians consider the foundation of their future state.
"We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us," the Israeli prime minister said.
Displaced Palestinians flee north Gaza
07:26 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Qatar urges UAE to shut its Tel Aviv embassy - report
07:09 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe UAE is reportedly considering Qatar's request to shut its Tel Aviv embassy in the wake of Israel's attack on Doha, which killed six people.
The UAE has attentively received the Qatari request, Haaretz reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources in Arab nations.
“The gloves are off,” the diplomat told the newspaper.Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, escalating its military action in the Middle East.
The strike was widely condemned around the world as an act that could further escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
The UN Security Council has condemned the attack in Qatar's capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel's ally the US.
Death toll rises to 46 in Israeli raids on Yemen
06:37 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarYemen's Houthi-run health ministry said the number of casualties in Israel's attacks rose to 46 people killed and 165 wounded.
Israel struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern province of al-Jawf, the latest in a series of attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza.
Wednesday's attack followed a 30 August strike on Sanaa that killed the prime minister of the Houthi-run government and several ministers, in the first such assault to target senior officials.
"The strikes were carried out in response to attacks led by the Houthi terror regime against the State of Israel, during which unmanned aerial vehicles and surface-to-surface missiles were launched toward Israeli territory," the Israeli military said.
The Israeli military yesterday claimed it intercepted two launches from Yemen, a missile and a drone, operations the Houthis claimed responsibility for later.
People attend a funeral held for those killed by an Israeli attack in Doha
06:17 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Qatar holds funeral for victims of Israeli attack
06:04 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarOfficials in Qatar held funeral services for the six people killed in an Israeli airstrike on Doha this week.
Those killed included a member of Qatar’s internal security forces and five Hamas members who were connected to a team brokering a US-led ceasefire plan for Gaza.
One coffin bearing a Qatari flag and five others bearing Palestinian flags were brought to Doha’s Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque yesterday.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was also present at the funeral, Al Jazeera reported.
Israel ‘killed any hope’ for hostages with attack on Doha, says PM
05:47 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarBenjamin Netanyahu’s airstrike on Hamas ceasefire negotiators in Doha has “just killed any hope” for the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, the prime minister of Qatar has said.
In an interview with CNN, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said the assassination of Hamas representatives was “barbaric” and accused Israel of “state terror”.
The unprecedented bombardment killed six people, including a member of Qatar’s internal security forces and five Hamas members who were brokering a US-led ceasefire plan for Gaza.
Harry Cockburn reports.
Israel ‘killed any hope’ for hostages with attack on Doha, says Qatari prime minister
Qatar's premier vows not to abandon negotiation efforts
04:24 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarQatar's prime minister accused Israel of ignoring the hostages in the Gaza Strip when it attacked Hamas leaders in Doha, but vowed not to abandon efforts to end the nearly two-year war.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that Israel went "beyond any borders, any limitations" with the strike in Qatar's capital this week, violating his country's sovereignty and threatening regional peace.
"Israel is trying to rearrange the region by force," he said. But "we will continue our humanitarian and diplomatic role without any hesitation in order to stop the bloodshed."
Israel's airstrike this week killed at least six people as Hamas leaders gathered to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. It risked upending negotiations that have been mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US and intensified Israel's global isolation, including a condemnation of the strike from the UN Security Council.
"Extremists that rule Israel today do not care about the hostages — otherwise, how do we justify the timing of this attack?" the prime minister said. He told CNN that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was directly to blame for killing "any hope for those hostages."In response, Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that "history will not be kind to accomplices".
"Either Qatar condemns Hamas, expels Hamas, and brings Hamas to justice. Or Israel will," Mr Danon said.
US joins Security Council's condemnation of Doha attack
04:21 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe US has joined members of the UN Security Council in issuing a joint statement which expressed "deep concern" without mentioning Israel by name and emphasising "de-escalation".
Approved by the 15-member council, the statement also conveyed its solidarity with Qatar and the "vital role" it's played in mediating peace efforts in recent years.
President Donald Trump has walked a delicate line between two major allies following the Israeli attack, saying the unilateral action "did not advance Israel or America's goals". He has said he's "not thrilled about it" but also suggested that "this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace."
Qatar has hosted Hamas' political leadership for years in Doha, in part over a request by the US to encourage negotiations to end the war that started with Hamas' attack on Israel.
During the Security Council session, acting US ambassador Dorothy Shea repeated Trump's sentiments and defended Israel's decision to target Hamas leaders.
"Eliminating Hamas, which has profited from the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal," she said.
Trump to meet Qatar's PM today
04:11 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS president Donald Trump is expected to meet Qatar's prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani this evening in New York.
The duo will meet and discuss the aftermath of the Israeli strike against Hamas leaders in Doha, Axios reported.
Will Qatar regret $400m Trump jet after Israel’s attack in Doha?
04:00 , Bryony Gooch
Will Qatar regret gifting $400m jet to Trump after Israel’s attack in Doha?
Hamas says Israel's Doha strike against leaders sought to derail ceasefire efforts
03:00 , Bryony GoochAn Israeli attack that targeted Hamas leaders in Qatar this week was an attempt to derail the ceasefire negotiations but would not change the Palestinian group's terms for ending the war in Gaza, a Hamas official said on Thursday.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha on Tuesday, in what U.S. officials described as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
In a televised address, Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said the strike was not only an attempt to assassinate the negotiating delegation, but a deliberate blow to the entire process and a clear message rejecting any ceasefire deal.
He also accused Israel of targeting the mediation efforts of Qatar and Egypt.
"This attack was a blatant confirmation by Netanyahu and his criminal gang of their refusal to reach any agreement and their insistence on derailing all regional and international efforts aimed at halting the genocide", Barhoum said.
However, the group has not officially announced it would close the door on future talks.
Satellite images show impact of Israeli airstrike on Hamas in Qatar
02:00 , Bryony Gooch
Before and after satellite images show impact of Israeli airstrike on Qatar
Watch: Trump ‘very unhappy’ about Israel airstrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar
01:00 , Bryony GoochNetanyahu signs West Bank settlement expansion plan, rules out Palestinian state
Friday 12 September 2025 00:00 , Bryony GoochIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to push ahead with a controversial settlement expansion plan that would cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state.
"There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours," Netanyahu said during a visit to the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank where thousands of new housing units would be added.
"We will safeguard our heritage, our land, and our security."
Last month, the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, received final approval from a Defence Ministry planning commission.
Netanyahu was joined by nationalist members of his coalition, including far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who in August said a Palestinian state "is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions."
Italy issues warning to Israel over Gaza flotilla attack
Thursday 11 September 2025 23:00 , Bryony Gooch
Italy issues warning to Israel as dozens of citizens join Gaza flotilla
UN Security Council, with US support, condemns strikes on Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 22:00 , Bryony GoochThe United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar's capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel's ally the United States.
While the United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations, the country described the Israeli attack on Qatar as a unilateral attack that does not advance the alliance’s interests.
US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump's unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar," read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.
The widely condemned Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
"Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority," the Security Council statement read.
The Security Council will meet later on Thursday to discuss the Israeli attack at a meeting due to be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
Festival axes orchestra amid concerns about Israeli conductor
Thursday 11 September 2025 21:00 , Bryony Gooch
Festival cancels German orchestra over ‘lack of clarity’ on Israeli conductor’s views
Israel ‘killed any hope’ for hostages with attack on Doha, says Qatari prime minister
Thursday 11 September 2025 20:01 , Alex CroftBenjamin Netanyahu’s airstrike on Hamas ceasefire negotiators in Doha has “just killed any hope” for the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, the prime minister of Qatar has said.
In an interview with CNN, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said the assassination of Hamas representatives was “barbaric” and accused Israel of “state terror”.
The unprecedented bombardment killed six people, including a member of Qatar’s internal security forces and five Hamas members who were brokering a US-led ceasefire plan for Gaza.
“Netanyahu was just wasting our time,” al-Thani said.
Harry Cockburn reports:
Israel ‘killed any hope’ for hostages with attack on Doha, says Qatari prime minister
Democratic senators call on Trump to take harder line with Israel after Middle East trip
Thursday 11 September 2025 19:29 , Alex CroftDemocratic senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkey are calling on the Trump administration to take a harder line with Israel following a trip to the region last month to witness the conditions in Gaza.
The senators issued a report that details the findings of their trip to the Gaza border and surrounding region, including that the Israeli government has too many restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza and that the food distribution sites that are allowed are designed by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drive people from northern Gaza.
"In our interviews and through our observations, it was clear that the Netanyahu government is also restricting the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including using food as a weapon of war," Mr Van Hollen said.
Israel's government has strongly denied accusations like that, saying Hamas is to blame for the the lack of food in Gaza. But the senator's report showed how support for Israel in its war against Gaza is eroding among congressional Democrats, many who've spent their political careers in support of Israel.
Ireland to boycott Eurovision contest if Israel participates
Thursday 11 September 2025 19:00 , Alex CroftIreland will not take part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate, Irish broadcaster RTE said on Thursday, arguing that doing so would be "unconscionable" because of the conflict in Gaza.
Recent editions of Eurovision have been overshadowed by opposition to Israel's participation in the contest over its continuing military assault on Gaza.
Israel has participated in Eurovision as a longtime member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises and co-produces the annual event.
Ireland's RTE said a number of EBU members had raised concerns about Israel's taking part during a meeting in July.
"RTE feels that Ireland's participation would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza," the broadcaster said in a statement.
The EBU said it understood the "concerns and deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East".
"We are still consulting with all EBU members to gather views on how we manage participation and geopolitical tensions around the Eurovision Song Contest," director Martin Green said in an emailed statement.
Qatar attack will not change Hamas' ceasefire terms, official says
Thursday 11 September 2025 18:32 , Alex CroftAn Israeli attack that targeted Hamas leaders in Qatar this week would not change the Palestinian group's terms for ending the war in Gaza, an official said on Thursday.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha on Tuesday, in what US officials described as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
In a televised address, Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said the strike targeted the group's negotiating delegation while they were discussing a new ceasefire proposal delivered by the Qatari prime minister just a day earlier.
"At the moment of the terrorist attack, the negotiating delegation was in the process of discussing its response to the proposal", he said.
Qatar has been hosting and mediating in negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Barhoum reaffirmed Hamas's key demands: a full ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a real prisoner-for-hostage exchange, humanitarian relief and reconstruction of the enclave.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for an all-or-nothing deal that would see all of the hostages released at once and Hamas surrendering.
Netanyahu is an unhinged narcissist who has sabotaged world peace, says furious Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 18:00 , Alex CroftA furious Qatar has accused Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “narcissistic saboteur-in-chief” determined to wreck the chances of peace in the Middle East, after Israel bombed the Qatari capital on Tuesday.
In blistering comments made to The Independent, Dr Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson and adviser to the country’s prime minister, said Israel had attacked central Doha while Hamas negotiators were discussing a US-proposed truce deal, putting a “target on the back” of any country attempting to mediate peace.
Israel launched an unprecedented air raid on Doha on Tuesday, killing at least six people, including a member of Qatar’s internal security forces and five Hamas figures.
The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
Netanyahu is an unhinged narcissist who has sabotaged world peace, says furious Qatar
US imposes fresh sanctions targeting Yemen's Houthis
Thursday 11 September 2025 17:31 , Alex CroftThe United States imposed a fresh round of sanctions targeting Yemen's Houthis on Thursday in what the Trump administration said was Washington's largest such action aimed at the Iran-aligned group.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement it was issuing sanctions against 32 individuals and entities as well as four vessels in an effort to disrupt the Houthis' fundraising, smuggling and attack operations.
Among the targets are several China-based companies that Treasury said helped transport military-grade components, as well as other companies that help arrange for dual-use goods to be shipped to the Houthis. The sanctions also target petroleum smugglers and Houthi-linked shipping companies, Treasury said.
The Houthis have disrupted commerce since late 2023 by launching hundreds of drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza.
In May, President Donald Trump announced a surprise U.S. ceasefire agreement with Houthis.
Palestinians in Nasser area of Gaza City face major dilemma
Thursday 11 September 2025 17:00 , Alex CroftPalestinians in the relatively unscathed Nasser area of Gaza City are deciding whether to stay or go on Thursday after the Israeli military dropped leaflets warning that troops would take control of the western neighbourhood.
Israel has ordered the hundreds of thousands of people living in Gaza City to leave as it intensifies its all-out war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, but with little safety, space and food in the rest of Gaza, people face dire choices.
"It has been almost two years, with no rest, no settling down, not even sleep," said Abu Ahmed, a father, as he and his family prepared to flee the city in a truck pulled by a motorcycle, laden with some of their belongings.
"We can't sit with our children just to sit with them. Our life revolves around war," he said. "We have to go from this area to that area. We can't take it anymore, we are tired."
Israeli forces killed 18 people across the territory on Thursday, according to medics and local health authorities, including 11 in strikes on various parts of Gaza City, five in a strike on a single location in Beach refugee camp, and two who were searching for food near Rafah in the south.
ICYMI: Trump ‘very unhappy’ about Israel airstrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 16:30 , Alex CroftYemen's national museum damaged during deadly Israeli airstrikes, Houthis say
Thursday 11 September 2025 16:01 , Alex CroftThe Israeli airstrikes in Yemen that killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 130 others also caused damaged to Yemen's national museum and other historical sites in its capital city, the Houthi Ministry of Culture said Thursday.
The status of the artifacts inside the museum is still unclear but thousands of historical artifacts are at risk of damage, according to the ministry. Associated Press photos and video footage from the site of the strike showed damage to the building's facade.
The ministry called on the UN cultural agency Unesco to condemn the attack and to intervene to help protect this historical building and its artifacts.
Most of those killed were in Sanaa, the capital, where a military headquarters and a fuel station were hit on Wednesday, the Houthi-run health ministry said.
Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to the Houthis' firing of missiles and drones at Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis say they are supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and on Sunday they sent a drone that breached Israel's multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern airport.
Mapped: All the countries Israel has attacked in the Middle East since 7 October Hamas massacre
Thursday 11 September 2025 15:31 , Alex CroftIsrael launched an airstrike targeting Hamas's leadership in capital of Qatar on Tuesday, widening its campaign against the militant group.
Hamas said all of its leaders survived the attack but that five lower-ranking members were killed, and Qatar said a security official also died and others were wounded.
Israel has launched a number of attacks since the Hamas attacks of October 2023, targeting several countries and territories across the Middle East.
Alongside Qatar, others include the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
Full report here:
Mapped: All the countries Israel has attacked in the Middle East since 7 October
Netherlands to ban import of goods produced on Israeli West Bank settlements
Thursday 11 September 2025 14:57 , Alex CroftThe Dutch government plans to ban imports of goods produced in Jewish settlements in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories over Israel's plans for the West Bank and its military offensive in Gaza, the foreign minister told parliament.
The Netherlands imposed travel bans on two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers in July, accusing them of inciting violence against Palestinians and calling for an "ethnic cleansing" of Gaza, but the government had been reluctant to take further steps until now.
Last month, former foreign minister Casper Veldkamp resigned because he said he felt no support within the cabinet to take additional measures against Israel.
But his successor, David van Weel, told parliament late on Wednesday he had instructed his department to draft a government decree on the import ban, saying the measure would be implemented as soon as possible.
The Netherlands is a leading global buyer of Israeli goods, but Van Weel did not say what volume of goods are currently imported from Jewish settlements.
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.
Qatar says reports that it is reassessing US security partnership are 'false'
Thursday 11 September 2025 14:31 , Daniel KeaneQatar has said that reports that it is reassessing its security partnership with the US are “categorically false”.
The Gulf state said its security and defense relationship with Washington was "stronger than ever and continues to grow"
Israeli president says he ‘argued out of respect’ with Starmer
Thursday 11 September 2025 13:59 , Arpan RaiIsraeli president Isaac Herzog has said he “argued out of respect” with prime minister Keir Starmer as the two exchanged tough words during the former’s visit to London yesterday.
“Things were said that were tough and strong,” Herzog said, adding, “Clearly, we can argue, because when allies meet, they can argue. We are both democracies.”
The two held a "tough" meeting in Downing Street that covered deep disagreements over recent behaviour by each other's country.
He said Sir Keir's plan for Palestinian statehood and his views on humanitarian aid in Gaza had been the root of the disagreement and added that he had invited the British government to undertake a fact-finding mission to Israel.
Ryanair may not return to Israel – even after Gaza war ends
Thursday 11 September 2025 13:14 , Arpan RaiRyanair has said it may not return to Israel to resume its air operations even after the war in Gaza ends.
“...there is a real possibility that we won’t bother going back to Israel... when the current violence” goes down, group CEO Michael O’Leary told journalists in Dublin, reported Al Jazeera.
He added that the airline was being “messed around” by Israeli airport authorities.
The Irish carrier is among several airlines that have been forced to reroute or halt services amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, alongside continued attacks in Gaza.
Ryanair announced earlier this year that it would not return to Israel until at least 25 October.
In June, Ryanair said it cancelled more than 800 flights, attributing the significant disruption to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Hamas confirms losses in Doha attack
Thursday 11 September 2025 12:30 , Arpan RaiHamas has said its top leaders survived the Israeli airstrike on Doha but that five lower-level members were killed, including the son of Khalil al-Hayya — Hamas' leader for Gaza and its top negotiator — as well as three bodyguards and the head of al-Hayya's office.
Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof that al-Hayya and other senior figures had survived.
Israel killed any hope for deal to release hostages, says Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 12:19 , Arpan RaiIsrael prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “killed any hope” of a deal to release all the Israeli hostages in Gaza when he ordered an airstrike on Doha, Qatar’s prime minister has said.
Calling Tuesday's airstrike on Doha an act of “state terror”, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said: “I was meeting one of the hostage’s families the morning of the attack. They are counting on this mediation, they have no other hope for that.”
“I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages,” he said.
Al-Thani also accused Netanyahu of “wasting” Qatar’s time in hosting negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Doha will now reassess “everything” about its role as mediator in the conflict, the Qatari PM said.
Qatar, alongside the United States and Egypt, has played a major role in rounds of so-far unsuccessful talks to end the war in Gaza.
The top negotiator in the Middle East, designated as a major non-Nato ally by Washington, has hosted Hamas’s political leaders since 2012 as part of an agreement under former US president Barack Obama.
Qatar announces funeral for people killed in Israeli attack
Thursday 11 September 2025 12:09 , Arpan RaiQatar’s interior ministry has said funeral prayers for the six people killed in the Israeli airstrike on Tuesday will be held today.
The service will take place at Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque this afternoon and it will be followed by their burial at Mesaimeer cemetery.
Qatari security forces member Lance-Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari was among those killed, officials said. The other five were low-ranking members of Hamas.
Trump demands Netanyahu does not repeat Israeli strike on Doha
Thursday 11 September 2025 11:51 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has sought a commitment from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he does not attack Qatar again, two sources aware of the details said.
Netanyahu ordered airstrikes on a location in Doha yesterday where Hamas leaders had gathered for talks on a new ceasefire proposal, killing six people.
The attack on the territory of a US ally alarmed countries in the Mideast and beyond. The Israeli strike has sparked a dramatic escalation in the region and risked upending talks aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
The US president’s advisers were “genuinely shocked” by the strike on Doha, reported Axios, adding that Trump held two phone calls with Netanyahu to discuss the strike.
On the first call, the US president said he was disappointed with the Israeli move and left puzzled over what such an attack was going to achieve in long term.
"It's unacceptable. I demand that you do not repeat it," Trump told Netanyahu, said two sources with knowledge, reported Axios.
Starmer tells Israeli president Qatar airstrikes ‘unacceptable’ and ‘do nothing to secure peace’
Thursday 11 September 2025 11:00 , Arpan RaiSir Keir Starmer has "condemned" Israel's air strikes in Qatar as “completely unacceptable”, adding they “do nothing to secure peace”, as he met the country’s president Isaac Herzog in Downing Street.
Israel killed at least six people, including a member of Qatar’s internal security forces and five Hamas figures after it launched an unprecedented air raid on Doha on Tuesday.
The meeting at Number 10 saw Herzog “argue” with the Sir Keir over UK plans to recognise a Palestinian state and concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir had "condemned Israel's action in Doha yesterday as completely unacceptable. He said the strikes were a flagrant violation of a key partner's sovereignty and do nothing to secure the peace we all desperately want to see".
Bryony Gooch reports:
Starmer tells Israeli president Qatar airstrikes ‘unacceptable’
Who is Khalil Al-Hayya? The top Hamas figure targeted by Israel
Thursday 11 September 2025 10:50 , Arpan RaiKhalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, was among the leaders targeted during the Israeli airstrikes in Qatar on Tuesday.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had targeted Hamas officials, shortly after the militant group admitted being behind a gun attack in Jerusalem that killed six people.
Hayya, an increasingly central figure in the leadership of the Palestinian militant group since both Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar were killed last year, has also been at the heart of ceasefire negotiations during the war that erupted two years ago.
He is part of a five-man leadership council that has led Hamas since Sinwar was killed by Israel last October in Gaza.
Who is Khalil Al-Hayya? The top Hamas figure targeted by Israel
Netanyahu is an unhinged narcissist who has sabotaged world peace, says furious Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 10:40 , Arpan RaiA furious Qatar has accused Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “narcissistic saboteur-in-chief” determined to wreck the chances of peace in the Middle East, after Israel bombed the Qatari capital on Tuesday.
In blistering comments made to The Independent, Dr Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson and adviser to the country’s prime minister, said Israel had attacked central Doha while Hamas negotiators were discussing a US-proposed truce deal, putting a “target on the back” of any country attempting to mediate peace.
Israel launched an unprecedented air raid on Doha on Tuesday, killing at least six people, including a member of Qatar’s internal security forces and five Hamas figures.
Bel Trew reports:
Netanyahu is an unhinged narcissist who has sabotaged world peace, says furious Qatar
Doha to host emergency Arab-Islamic summit to discuss Israeli attack on Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 10:25 , Arpan RaiDoha will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit next Sunday and Monday to discuss the Israeli attack on Qatar’s capital, according to an invitation by Qatar's news agency.
At least six people were killed in Doha yesterday after Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on Hamas leaders gathered to weigh on a new ceasefire proposal.
Qatar and Egypt have been key mediators to try and reach a ceasefire in the war in Gaza. Qatar has hosted Hamas' political leadership for years in Doha, in part over a request by the US to encourage negotiations between the militant group and Israel.
What's left of Gaza?
Thursday 11 September 2025 10:06 , Arpan RaiIsrael says it now controls 75 per cent of Gaza, much of which has been reduced to fields of rubble, and has vowed to take the rest.
Hamas is largely confined to the same pockets of territory where much of Gaza's population of some 2 million Palestinians have sought refuge.
Israel's tactical gains have come at an enormous cost to Palestinian civilians, with tens of thousands killed, vast areas destroyed and famine in Gaza City.
They have also left Israel more isolated than ever on the world stage, and the strike on Qatar has deepened the sense, even among friendly Arab countries, that Israel has become a regional menace.
That isolation likely brings some solace to Hamas' embattled members inside Gaza, where the government it has run since seizing power in 2007 has mostly collapsed and its security forces have melted away.
The rest of Gaza has fallen under the control of powerful local families and armed groups — at least one of which is backed by Israel.
Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza's private truckers' union, said plainclothes Hamas police still operate in parts of Gaza City, the central city of Deir al-Balah and built-up refugee camps in central Gaza.
"They carry out raids against looters and thieves, as well as merchants who steal people's food," he said, referring to hoarding and price-gouging by some vendors.
He denied Israeli allegations that Hamas is behind the frequent looting of aid trucks.
Before and after satellite images show impact of Israeli airstrike on Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 10:05 , Arpan RaiNew satellite images show the impact on the ground of Israel’s airstrike targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha, Qatar this week.
Israel on Tuesday carried out an airstrike against Hamas’s political leaders in Doha, which Qatar condemned as a “cowardly attack” and “criminal assault”.
Hamas said the strike failed to kill any of the senior negotiators targeted, but that five “low-ranking” members died. Qatar said one member of its security forces was killed and others injured.
Before and after satellite images show impact of Israeli airstrike on Qatar
Israel killed any hope for deal to release hostages, says Qatar
Thursday 11 September 2025 09:34 , Arpan RaiIsrael prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “killed any hope” of a deal to release all the Israeli hostages in Gaza when he ordered an airstrike on Doha, Qatar’s prime minister has said.
Calling Tuesday's airstrike on Doha an act of “state terror”, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said: “I was meeting one of the hostage’s families the morning of the attack. They are counting on this mediation, they have no other hope for that.”
“I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages,” he said.
Al-Thani also accused Netanyahu of “wasting” Qatar’s time in hosting negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Doha will now reassess “everything” about its role as mediator in the conflict, the Qatari PM said.
Qatar, alongside the United States and Egypt, has played a major role in rounds of so-far unsuccessful talks to end the war in Gaza.
The top negotiator in the Middle East, designated as a major non-Nato ally by Washington, has hosted Hamas’s political leaders since 2012 as part of an agreement under former US president Barack Obama.
Israel deliberately targeted Hamas in Qatar as they blocked Gaza ceasefire, president says
Thursday 11 September 2025 08:51 , Arpan RaiIsrael deliberately bombed the Hamas negotiating team in Qatar to remove what it said were extremists resisting ceasefire proposals for Gaza, Israel’s president said.
Isaac Herzog said the strike was aimed at Khalil al-Hayya, the main Hamas negotiator based in Doha, whom Israel claimed had thwarted attempts at brokering peace.
Speaking in a briefing, Herzog said: “We targeted those who refused to accept the deal, including primarily, al-Hayya whose hands carried the blood of thousands of Israelis.”
Also targeted were fellow Hamas politburo members Khaled Mashal and three others who were part of the group negotiating a ceasefire in Qatar via American mediators.
However, an Israeli source explained that the aim of the operation was to cut the “extremists” out of the negotiating process so that the leader on the ground, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, commander of the Qassam Brigades of Hamas, might emerge as a figure Israel could talk to.
Sam Kiley reports:
Israel targeted Hamas in Qatar for blocking Gaza ceasefire, president says
Israeli president says he ‘argued out of respect’ with Starmer
Thursday 11 September 2025 08:41 , Arpan RaiIsraeli president Isaac Herzog has said he “argued out of respect” with prime minister Keir Starmer as the two exchanged tough words during the former’s visit to London yesterday.
“Things were said that were tough and strong,” Herzog said, adding, “Clearly, we can argue, because when allies meet, they can argue. We are both democracies.”
The two held a "tough" meeting in Downing Street that covered deep disagreements over recent behaviour by each other's country.
He said Sir Keir's plan for Palestinian statehood and his views on humanitarian aid in Gaza had been the root of the disagreement and added that he had invited the British government to undertake a fact-finding mission to Israel.
Mapped: All the countries Israel has attacked in the Middle East since 7 October Hamas massacre
Thursday 11 September 2025 08:17 , Arpan RaiIsrael launched an airstrike targeting Hamas's leadership in capital of Qatar on Tuesday, widening its campaign against the militant group.
Hamas said all of its leaders survived the attack but that five lower-ranking members were killed, and Qatar said a security official also died and others were wounded.
Israel has launched a number of attacks since the Hamas attacks of October 2023, targeting several countries and territories across the Middle East.
Alongside Qatar, others include the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
Alex Croft reports:
Mapped: All the countries Israel has attacked in the Middle East since 7 October
Trump annoyed at Netanyahu's tactics, experts say after Israel's attack in Doha
Thursday 11 September 2025 08:02 , Arpan RaiIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not warn Washington of its plan to bomb Qatari capital Doha, US officials said, showing that it is not afraid to act against US interest.
"On this one, I think Trump is annoyed by Netanyahu's tactics," said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and veteran US peace negotiator.
But, Miller added, "(Trump's) instinct is that he agrees with Netanyahu's notion that Hamas cannot just be hollowed out as a military organization. It needs to be fundamentally weakened."
That lack of warning recalled Israel's September 2024 attack on Hezbollah, when Israel wounded thousands of the militant group's members with booby-trapped pagers, without informing then-president Joe Biden.
Trump, for his part, has occasionally expressed displeasure with Netanyahu. But his administration has strongly supported Israel's campaign to weaken Hamas and allowed it to largely take the lead on key issues such as Iran's nuclear programme.
