Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha. A Hamas official informed the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were struck during a meeting. Photos from the scene revealed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.
The Israeli military has accused the targeted Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and of orchestrating the subsequent conflict in Gaza.
In response, Qatar condemned what it referred to as the 'cowardly Israeli attack,' which struck residential buildings housing several Hamas political bureau members, describing it as a blatant violation of all international laws and norms and a serious threat to security in Qatar.
Furthermore, the UN Secretary General António Guterres labeled the strike a flagrant violation of Qatar's sovereignty. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation, stating that it was a wholly independent Israeli effort and that Israel takes full responsibility.
The strike particularly targeted key figures within Hamas, including Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator, and Zaher Jabarin, an exiled West Bank leader. Israeli officials await the assessment of the operation's results amid ongoing military actions against Hamas in Gaza, which has seen devastating losses.
Since the outbreak of conflict following the October 2023 attacks on southern Israel, a staggering number of casualties have been reported, with more than 64,600 individuals reportedly killed in Gaza due to Israeli military responses.
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