Israel’s military targeted senior Hamas leadership in Qatar with an airstrike on Tuesday.
“The IDF and ISA [Shin Bet] conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin were the two targets of the Israeli strikes, initial reports indicate. Israeli officials confirm that the U.S. was informed in advance of the strikes.
“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence,” the IDF added.
Israel’s security agency Shin Bet says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at the department’s headquarters when the Hamas delegation was struck in Doha, Qatar.
The attack against “the top leadership” of Hamas was coordinated between the agency and Israel’s military, a spokesperson for Shin Bet says.
Defence Minister Israel Katz, the security agency’s deputy chief and the head of military intelligence were also present at the headquarters, they add.
IDF statement on Doha strike
- Here’s the full statement on the attack from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF):
“The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization.
“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel.
“Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence.
“The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.”
Netanyahu says strikes were an ‘independent Israeli operation’
The office for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation”.
“Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” it says in a statement.
US embassy in Qatar asks citizens to shelter-in-placepublished
The US embassy in Qatar has issued a “shelter-in-place order” for their facilities.
It asks US citizens to shelter where they are and to monitor its social media feed for updates following the strike reports.
Iran condemns Israeli strike on Qatar
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was just spoke on state TV.
He says the action was a “blatant violation of international law” and an “infringement upon the national sovereignty of Qatar and the Palestinian negotiators”.
It must serve as a “serious warning for the region and the international community,” the foreign ministry spokesperson adds.
Iran and Israel have been holding a ceasefire since late June.
White House confirms it was notified of Israeli strike
A White House official has confirmed to the BBC that the Trump administration was “notified” about the Israeli strike on Doha before it took place.
The attack by Israel on Qatar, a major non-Nato ally for the US, immediately raised questions about the level of US awareness and involvement, particularly given the approximately 10,000 US military personnel that are stationed in the country.
Leave a Reply