Israeli President Isaac Herzog said a Hamas leader targeted in an Israeli airstrike in Doha had been obstructing a peace deal for Gaza, defending the strike that wounded the negotiator and killed six people.
Herzog, speaking to the Mail ahead of a planned meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, identified the wounded figure as Khalil al Hayya and said al Hayya "kept saying 'yes, but' in negotiations" and "objected to a deal on Gaza." He said al Hayya "was number one in Hamas. He had the blood of thousands of Israelis on his hands. He was one of the planners of October 7th." The strike in Qatar came as a Hamas delegation was considering a U.S.-backed peace proposal that Israel had supported.
Qatari authorities and Western officials said six people died in the airstrike in Doha, among them family members of members of the Hamas delegation and a Qatari security official. Security footage released after the strike captured the moment of the strike on Tuesday. Israeli officials said the operation was aimed at Hamas leaders; Qatar, Britain and the United States condemned the action.
Western diplomats and U.S. officials expressed concern that the strike could derail diplomatic efforts to halt a war that has caused widespread devastation in Gaza. The conflict has killed more than 60,000 people, authorities and humanitarian groups say, including tens of thousands of women and children, and has left large parts of Gaza in ruins. U.S. President Donald Trump had described the U.S.-backed proposal as Hamas’ "last chance" for peace days before the Doha attack.
The strike and Herzog's remarks added to international alarm about the prospects for renewed negotiations. Western officials warned that targeting negotiators on foreign soil risked shattering mediating channels and complicating efforts by regional partners to push for a cease-fire and hostage releases.
Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks said they feared the Doha strike could endanger captives by prompting reprisals from militants. Israeli authorities have long said the release of hostages is a central objective of any agreement.
Herzog framed the strike as a security measure, asserting that some Hamas figures involved in talks bore direct responsibility for violence against Israelis. He provided those allegations to underscore Israel's rationale for targeting individuals it says are linked to planning and command structures. Independent verification of specific operational roles attributed to al Hayya was not available in immediate reporting.
The Doha strike added diplomatic strain between Israel and countries hosting or facilitating negotiations. Qatar had been serving as a venue and conduit for contacts between Hamas, mediators and Western officials seeking an end to the fighting. Officials in Washington and London said they were reviewing the intelligence and circumstances surrounding the strike while reiterating calls for restraint and renewed diplomatic engagement.
Herzog was due to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday. The meeting was expected to include discussion of the Qatar strike, the stalled political process, and humanitarian and security concerns arising from months of intensive conflict.
The incident underscored the fragility of talks overseen by international mediators, and it heightened fears that military actions beyond Gaza’s borders could deepen regional tensions and imperil fragile prospects for prisoner swaps and a cessation of hostilities.