Israel's strike against Hamas leaders in Doha directly contradicted high-level assurances that both Israeli and US officials had previously given to Qatar, according to a report in The Washington Post by David Ignatius. Citing Qatari sources, the report claims the attack proceeded despite explicit promises that Hamas terrorists would not be targeted on Qatari soil, a betrayal that has reportedly left officials in Doha in shock and has shattered a crucial diplomatic channel for ending the Gaza war.
Officials in Qatar reacted with shock and a sense of betrayal, and the strike seems likely to destroy Qatar's position as a mediator in the war – eliminating the most reliable conduit for passing messages to Hamas leaders in Gaza, according to The Washington Post. Qatari sources informed the outlet that Israel and the US had promised them last month that Hamas officials would not be targeted on their territory. This assurance proved worthless. Qatar now holds the distinction of having been attacked by both Israel and Iran during the convulsive regional conflict that began on October 7, 2023, with Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel.
Qatar had feared an attack after Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces' chief of staff, warned on August 31 that "most of the remaining Hamas' leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well." A report in The Washington Post indicates Qatar sought assurances from the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, and the White House that such an attack would not occur on Qatari soil. The pledges were given, and a Qatari official told the outlet that Tuesday's strike "came as a total surprise."
The Israeli strike targeting Hamas's political leadership in Qatar's capital, aimed at forcing an end to the Gaza war, appears to be a rare Israeli tactical error, according to an analysis in The Washington Post offered by David Ignatius. The assault, whose result is unclear, ruptured one of the few existing channels for halting the conflict.
The paradoxical timing of Tuesday's assault highlighted the no-exit dilemma of the Gaza war, The Washington Post reported. At the moment Israeli rockets struck, Hamas officials were gathered in a Doha villa to discuss a "final offer" peace plan from President Donald Trump, which had been presented to them on Monday by a senior Qatari official. A warning call from the White House reportedly came amid the sound of the explosions, a Qatari spokesman stated.
Israel's high-risk operation signaled that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making an all-out blitz to force Hamas to surrender in the Gaza war, the columnist said. Netanyahu now appears so determined, and arguably desperate, to destroy Hamas that he is busting previous norms and restraints, he continued.
On Sunday, President Trump had warned that events in Gaza were coming to a head. He posted on social media that he had proposed a final deal that would include the release of all hostages and the exchange of all Palestinian prisoners. "The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well," he wrote on Truth Social. "I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!"
An Israeli official detailed Trump's proposal. On day one, Hamas would release all 48 hostages – 20 alive and 28 deceased. Israel would withdraw from all of Gaza and begin to release about 1,000 Palestinians. On day two, Trump would personally take charge of negotiations for a political transition and reconstruction in Gaza.
An Arab source described the chain of events. Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, had met with Hamas representatives on Monday to share a proposal that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff delivered last week in Paris. The Hamas representatives, perhaps including some who had just arrived from Turkey, decided to meet again on Tuesday to discuss the proposal. Israel, presumably knowing the group had gathered in Doha, chose to attack.
Hamas claimed the strike did not kill Khalil al-Hayya or other senior officials, though it did kill his son, three bodyguards, and a Qatari security officer. This is an uncommon miss for the Israeli Air Force, which has struck leaders of Hamas in Gaza, the Hezbollah terrorist militia in Lebanon, and Iran with stunning accuracy.
For Qatar, the attack is a bitter outcome after aggressive attempts to help the Trump administration broker peace deals, not just in Gaza but also in the conflicts between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Qataris have also helped free American hostages in Venezuela and Russia, according to Qatari and American officials. But for many Israelis, Qatar – for all its diplomatic finesse – remains an enemy that bankrolled Hamas and hosts Al Jazeera's sometimes inflammatory Arabic commentary.
For Netanyahu and Trump, the question is what's next. Both demand a Hamas surrender. But how will they negotiate it with the Qatari channel shattered and a parallel Egyptian path probably also obstructed? By undermining diplomatic options for ending the conflict, Israel has narrowed its path forward. Its only choice now might be military reoccupation of most of Gaza – something that Israeli officials say they badly want to avoid.
Netanyahu pushes onward toward his vision of total victory in Gaza. But with Tuesday's actions, he risked obliterating one of the few tracks toward a negotiated settlement of this devastating and exhausting conflict, according to the analysis from The Washington Post.
