Israeli President Isaac Herzog says the Doha bombing was aimed at wiping out top Hamas men who were standing in the way of peace proposals and objecting to a ceasefire
Israel’s shock bombing of the Qatari capital was aimed at wiping out the Hamas ‘old guard’ blocking Gaza ceasefire proposals, its President has claimed. President Isaac Herzog told the Mirror the attack on Doha targeted terror chiefs led by Khalil al-Hayya because they repeatedly turned down Israel’s suggestions.
The 64-year-old veteran Israeli politician said during a visit to London: “The plan was to target the leadership who had objected to the peace deal. We targeted those who have refused to accept suggestions including exiled Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya, who carries the blood of thousands of Israelis. Khalil was always objecting to every peace deal. He kept making objections.”
The astonishing claim about the attack, which killed six, was revealed hours before Herzog met Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks about Gaza. Among the dead were five members of Hamas and a Qatari security worker, although Israeli sources say it cannot be confirmed who the dead Palestinians were.
Israel’s attack is believed to have shattered hopes for a Gaza ceasefire in the Strip where war is raging around Gaza City and buildings are being levelled. More than 50 Palestinians are feared to have been killed since dawn on Tuesday and the Strip’s toll is now more than 64,600.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières branded the current assault on Gaza City a “death sentence” It said: “Médecins Sans Frontières teams warn that it will be simply impossible to force one million people – including hundreds of critically ill patients and newborn babies – out of Gaza City and into overcrowded and under-resourced areas in the centre and south of the Strip.
“This would represent a death sentence for one million Palestinians.” Qatari security forces were gathered at the site of bombing in a residential area of Doha yesterday trying to piece together what happened.
Tuesday’s strike in a quarter popular with foreign embassies and schools did not bring the targeted complex down. One room appeared to be more damaged than others, indicating a targeted missile attack and ground intelligence on the precise location of the Hamas team.
The militant network usually takes weeks to confirm the deaths of its leaders. The strike on the territory of a US ally drew widespread condemnation from countries in the Mideast and beyond.
It also marked a dramatic escalation in the region and risked upending talks aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. From a distance beyond the security cordon, the buildings that had housed the Hamas leadership in Doha could be seen still standing. The windows of the building next to the one targeted remained intact, suggesting that whatever the Israeli military used was a low yield weapon.
Israel has not specified what it used, beyond saying it employed precision-guided weapons meant to minimize collateral damage. Hamas said its top leaders survived the strike but that five lower-level members were killed, including the son of al-Hayya.
Al-Hayya is Hamas’ leader for Gaza and its top negotiator. The 59-year-old Gaza-born hard-liner rose up the ranks after the killings of top Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, and military commander Mohammed Deif last year. Sinwar, who had taken charge in Gaza after Haniyeh’s death, was killed later in 2024.
With those losses, al-Hayya is now one of five leaders steering the Hamas leadership council. This is the temporary, five-member ruling committee formed in late 2024 to govern the group during the war.
Qatar has a major arsenal of air defense systems, including both American-made Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD batteries. But it seems Qatari air defenses were not engaged during the attack, which occurred just before 4pm on Tuesday.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, said “the Israeli enemy used weapons that were not detected by radar.” It is possible Israeli fighter jets could have launched so-called “stand-off” missiles at a distance to strike the site without actually entering Qatari airspace – possible over the Persian Gulf.
The Sheikh slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the attack. He said: “Such hostile behaviour reflects only the barbarism of Netanyahu.” He added that Mr Netanyahu “was pushing the region towards irreparable instability, undermining international laws and frameworks”.
Sheikh Mohammed also criticised “Netanyahu for previously declaring intentions to reshape the Middle East, questioning whether this was also meant as a threat to reshape the Arabian Gulf.” Qatar’s advisory Shura Council condemned what it described as a “criminal, treacherous and cowardly attack.”
The New York-based think tank the Soufan Centre – run by ex-FBI man ali Soufan – said: “Israel’s strike on Qatar raises the uncomfortable question: if a state like Qatar, with its carefully cultivated neutrality and commitment to peacemaking, is punished for its role, who will dare step into the vacuum of mediation in the future?”
Israel has issued expulsion orders for nearly one million residents of Gaza City ahead of a planned ground offensive to occupy it. Israeli forces have levelled at least 50 major buildings in Gaza City as it tries to hunt down diehard Hamas gunmen. But it is also feared that some of the 50 hostages remaining in the Strip – just 20 thought still to be alive – may be being held underground in the city.
And the Doha bid to kill the Hamas leadership is feared to have put the hostages in even greater danger than before, leaving loved-ones hoping for their release devastated.