DOHA: Israel carried out an unprecedented airstrike inside the Qatari capital Doha, targeting Hamas leadership in the Katara district, causing explosions and smoke clouds across the city.
Several senior Hamas figures, including Khalil al-Haya and Zahir Jibrin, were killed in the attacks, according to Arab media reports. However, Hamas officials denied the claims in an interview with Al Jazeera, insisting that no senior leaders were harmed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the operation, saying, “Israel accepts full responsibility for the Doha attack, which was a direct attack against the Hamas leadership as part of our ongoing operation.”
Qatar’s response
Qatar strongly condemned the attack, calling it a cowardly and criminal attack. A spokesman for the Qatari prime minister declared that “Israel has violated international law and Qatar’s sovereignty, and this aggression will not be responded to diplomatically.”
International reaction
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the airstrike, warning that such actions “risk escalating the Middle East conflict and undermining ongoing peace efforts.”
The attack is the first direct Israeli attack on Qatari soil, signaling a dangerous escalation of the conflict that has spread to several Arab countries in recent months.
