Israel said on Tuesday that its military and security services carried out precise strikes in Doha, Qatar, against several members of Hamas’s political bureau, killing multiple people and damaging a compound in the Qatari capital. Hamas said its top leaders survived the attack but reported the deaths of five members and a Qatari security officer.
The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency, Shin Bet, said the operation targeted senior Hamas figures who were meeting in Doha to discuss proposals reportedly put forward by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they ordered the operation following a deadly shooting near Jerusalem on Monday that Hamas claimed responsibility for.
Hamas issued a statement saying five of its members were killed: Humam Al-Hayya, Jihad Labad, Abdullah Abdul Wahid, Moamen Hassouna and Ahmed Al-Mamluk. It also named Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed Al-Humaidi of Qatar’s internal security forces among the dead. The group said senior figures including Khalil al-Hayya, head of its negotiating team, former political bureau chief Khaled Mashal, Zaher Jabarin, Nizar Awadallah and Mousa Abu Marzook survived the strike, but offered no independent proof of their survival.
Qatari authorities condemned the strikes as a “cowardly” violation of sovereignty and international law. Iran likewise denounced the attack as a grave breach of international rules, and United Kingdom Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said on social media that the strikes risked further destabilizing the region and called for an immediate cease-fire and increased aid to Gaza.
A White House official told the BBC that the United States was notified about the operation in advance. U.S. diplomatic facilities in Doha issued a shelter-in-place order for American citizens and staff, and the presence of the U.S. Air Force’s Al Udeid base in Qatar heightened international attention to the strike. Israeli officials said the action was initiated and carried out by Israel and that Israel takes full responsibility. Israeli military spokespeople described the attack as airstrikes.
Eyewitness footage and geolocation analysis showed damage to a complex on Wadi Rawdan Street, north of central Doha, and smoke rising over the area after explosions. Reports from the scene and early media accounts initially conflicted on the fate of several senior Hamas figures, prompting swift international concern and diplomatic statements from regional capitals.
Israeli officials linked the strikes to the shooting attack on the outskirts of Jerusalem the previous day that killed six people. Hamas claimed responsibility for Monday’s bus shooting, saying two gunmen were involved; Israeli police shot dead two suspects and arrested a third. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister had instructed security agencies to prepare for the possibility of targeting Hamas leaders following the Jerusalem attack and that an operational opportunity prompted immediate action.
Khaled Mashal, a longtime leader of Hamas who headed its political bureau from 2004 to 2017, has lived in Doha for years and handles many of the group’s financial and diplomatic affairs abroad, according to Israeli diplomatic statements. Mashal has previously been targeted in assassination attempts, including an incident in 1997 in Jordan in which a botched poisoning was linked to Israeli agents. Other senior Hamas figures named as present in Doha have histories of detention and negotiation with Israel: Zaher Jabarin was imprisoned by Israel in 1993 and released in a 2011 prisoner exchange, and Khalil al-Hayya has been described by analysts as one of Hamas’s most influential figures abroad since the deaths of top Gaza-based leaders in 2024.
Hamas’s leadership has been dispersed across the region since the group’s 2006 electoral victory and subsequent conflicts. Several senior figures relocated to Qatar and other states after leaving Gaza. Qatar has hosted Hamas political leaders for years, drawing occasional Israeli criticism for providing shelter to officials the Israeli government designates as terrorists.
The strikes in Doha are the latest escalation in a broader cycle of violence between Israel and Hamas that intensified after a major outbreak of hostilities in October 2024 and successive targeted killings of Gaza-based leaders. Israel has repeatedly said it will target militants planning or directing attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel. Doha’s condemnation frames the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty, raising diplomatic tensions with Israel and complicating international efforts to reduce violence and expand humanitarian access to Gaza.
International reactions were swift. Qatar called for an immediate investigation and pressed for respect of its sovereignty. Iran condemned the strikes and warned of regional repercussions. In London, Sir Keir Starmer urged de-escalation and a renewed focus on a cease-fire and humanitarian assistance. The Israeli prime minister’s office asserted that Israel acted independently, while some international reports suggested U.S. awareness of the operation.
At home, Israeli leaders said the action was a direct response to recent attacks and part of efforts to disrupt militant planning. In Gaza and other Palestinian territories, the strikes and their aftermath are expected to further inflame tensions and complicate diplomatic initiatives aimed at restoring calm.
The situation remains fluid, with independent verification of the full extent of the casualties and the status of Hamas’s senior leadership still pending. International monitors and media organizations are seeking additional information from Qatari authorities, Israeli officials and Hamas sources as diplomats assess the wider implications for regional security and the U.S. presence in Qatar.