'Israel’s strike on Hamas leadership in Doha confirms the Israeli government’s lack of interest in a negotiated end to the war in Gaza.'
Israel’s deadly attack on Hamas in Qatar has drawn global condemnation, with US President Donald Trump saying he was not “thrilled” by Israel’s actions.
Israel, on Tuesday, carried out an attack targeting senior Hamas leadership in Doha, prompting near-unanimous global criticism.
Trump not happy
In a Truth Social post, Trump backtracked from a claim by the White House that Washington had warned Qatar in advance of Israel’s strike.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
Israel attack
Qatar refuted a statement by the Trump administration that Washington had notified officials in the Gulf country before Israel attacked Hamas negotiators in Doha.
ALSO READ: Dirco slams report SA collaborated with Hamas to attack Israel
The strikes hit a residential area in the Qatari capital, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer.
Honest broker
Qatar, a close US ally, has been a leading mediator in American-supported ceasefire talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
A spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majid Al Ansari, said they received a call from an American official during the sound of the explosions, not before the attacks.
Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, called Israel’s attack on the country “state terrorism” and said in a news briefing on Tuesday that Qatar would take the “necessary measures to respond.”
He also said Israel used weapons that were not detected by Qatari air defences.
‘Not thrilled’
Donald Trump now says he’s not thrilled about the attacks, saying he has assured Qatar that it will never happen again.
“I am not thrilled by the whole situation; it’s not a good situation. But I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today. I’m not surprised by anything, especially when it comes to the Middle East.”
Israel’s lack of interest
“Israel’s strike on Hamas leadership in Doha confirms the Israeli government’s lack of interest in a negotiated end to the war in Gaza and poisons the environment for any country to mediate going forward,” said Robert Malley, a former top Middle East official in the Obama and Biden administrations, in a report in the Washington Post.
“The lack of significant domestic Israeli political opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to strike reflects how ‘utter devastation and unconditional surrender’ have become a broadly accepted policy in the country amid its ongoing conflicts with regional rivals,” said Malley.
ALSO READ: Israeli strikes kill children collecting water in Gaza
“Israel is also sending the message that no Palestinian is safe anywhere, not even in the capital of a close American partner, key intermediary between Israelis and Palestinians, and lucrative financial source for many in the Trump orbit.”
Condemnation
France called Israel’s attack “unacceptable”, while the UK said it violated Qatar’s sovereignty and Saudi Arabia denounced it as “a brutal Israeli aggression”.
Cinzia Bianco, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera that Israel’s previous attacks on the region meant the Qataris knew they were not off limits.
“But obviously no one anticipated a direct attack, and just the defiance and unhinged recklessness of it surprised, I would say, everyone,” she said.
Bianco added that regional states needed to come together to push back against Israel.
Gaza war
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 64 605 people and wounded 163 319 since October 2023. Thousands more are believed to be under the rubble.
A total of 1 139 people were killed in Israel during the 7 October attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.
ALSO READ: Israel strikes Catholic church in Gaza, killing three [VIDEO]
