Tension escalated on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, as Israel launched a strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar.
This comes as the strike reportedly plunged the Middle East into chaos due to the fact that the Israeli airstrike on Doha targeted key figures amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Israel launched the strike on Hamas leaders in Doha early Tuesday. The operation began after Israeli warplanes unleashed munitions on a compound in Doha’s upscale West Bay district.
According to Israeli military sources, the assault was planned to eliminate top Hamas operatives, including Khalil al-Hayya, the group’s de facto exiled Gaza chief and lead negotiator in U.S.-brokered talks.
Recall that Al-Hayya, who has risen to prominence following the assassinations of predecessors like Ismail Haniyeh in 2024 and Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last October, was convening with other senior members to discuss a potential hostage release and ceasefire framework tied to the Gaza war’s origins after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Following the attack, the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet intelligence agency said that they had carried out “a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike a “wholly independent Israeli operation.”
“Israel takes full responsibility,” he said in a statement on X.
Reacting also after the attack, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that while U.S. President Donald Trump feels “very badly” about the location of the strike, eliminating Hamas was a “worthy goal.”
She said: “This morning, the Trump administration was notified by the United States military that as Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar, 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.
“However, eliminating Hamas, which has profited from the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal. President Trump immediately directed special envoy Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did. The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very bad about the location of this attack.
“President Trump wants all of the hostages in Gaza and the bodies of the dead released in this war to end now. President Trump also spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu after the attack. The prime minister told President Trump that he wants to make peace quickly.
“President Trump believes this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace. The president also spoke to the emir and prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship to our country. He assured them that such a thing would not happen again on their soil.”
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Interior Ministry has reported six deaths, including five lower-ranking Hamas aides and one member of Qatar’s internal security forces.
The Qatari government also condemned what it called a “cowardly Israeli attack.”
The statement reads in part: “This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.
“The Qatari government will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior, which continuously undermines the region’s security, or any action targeting its security and sovereignty.”
Also, the leadership of Hamas has confirmed that among those killed was the son of the group’s key negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya. It lists their names as:
Humam Al-Hayya (Abu Yahya) – al-Hayya’s son
Jihad Labad (Abu Bilal) – director of al-Hayya’s office
Abdullah Abdul Wahid (Abu Khalil)
Moamen Hassouna (Abu Omar)
Ahmed Al-Mamluk (Abu Malik)
The sixth person killed was a member of Qatar’s internal security forces, Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed Al-Humaidi
The government of the United Arab Emirates, has also reacted after Israel launched a strike on Hamas leaders in Doha.
The UAE government said the bombing of Hamas’s so-called bureau of political affairs was a dangerous assault on international law” and an “irresponsible escalation.”
Similarly, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the bombing as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and said it risks further escalation.
“The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza,” Starmer wrote in a post on X.
