DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatari security forces deployed Wednesday around the site of an Israeli attack the previous day on Hamas’ political leaders who had gathered in the capital of the energy-rich Middle East country to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Tuesday's strike on a building in Doha killed at least six people in a neighborhood that is home to foreign embassies and schools.
The strike on the territory of a U.S. 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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strike and threatened further action against Qatar a day after U.S. President Donald Trump had sought to ease tensions between the U.S. allies, including by assuring the Gulf nation that there would be no more such strikes on its soil.
“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice,†Netanyahu said. "Because if you don’t, we will.â€
Qatar released a statement condemning his remarks and noting that it hosts Hamas leaders as part of mediation efforts supported by the U.S. and Israel that have led to ceasefires and the release of Israeli hostages.
About 10 missiles used
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the attack, said about 10 planes participated in the mission and dropped about 10 missiles.
Netanyahu said Tuesday that he had made the decision to carry out the strike the day before. The official did not know how long the mission had been planned, but said the timing was connected to “operational opportunity†— with Israel knowing that many Hamas officials would be gathered in an area relatively easy to hit without threatening Qatari civilians.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, called out Netanyahu over the attack.
“Such hostile behavior reflects only the barbarism of Netanyahu,†the minister said while consoling the family of a Qatari security official killed in Israel’s strike, according to the Foreign Ministry. He added that Netanyahu “was pushing the region toward irreparable instability, undermining international laws and frameworks.â€
At the scene of the attack
From a distance beyond the security cordon, the buildings that had housed the Hamas leadership in Doha could be seen still standing. But one room in particular appeared to have been the target of the strike — its walls had collapsed, and gray rubble could be seen inside.
Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC showed damage to structures to the south of the Hamas compound as well, though the buildings were still standing.
Security forces and emergency personnel surrounded the site and blocked traffic.
A gas station to one side did not appear to have suffered any fire damage. The windows of the building next to the one targeted remained intact.
Israel hasn't publicly specified what it used to carry out the strike, beyond saying it employed precision-guided weapons meant to minimize collateral damage.
Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that its top leaders survived the strike but that five lower-level members were killed, including the son of Khalil al-Hayya — Hamas’ leader for Gaza and its top negotiator — as well as three bodyguards and the head of al-Hayya’s office. Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof that al-Hayya and other senior figures had survived.
Hitting an American ally
Qatar maintains a major arsenal of air defense systems, including both American-made Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD batteries. However, it didn't immediately appear that Qatari air defenses engaged during the attack, which occurred just before 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Sheikh Mohammed said Tuesday that “the Israeli enemy used weapons that were not detected by radar.â€
He did not elaborate but the statement suggests Israeli fighter jets could have launched so-called “standoff†missiles at a distance to strike the site without actually entering Qatari airspace.
The United States says it tried to warn Qatar ahead of the strike, but Sheikh Mohammed said that “the Americans sent a message 10 minutes after the attacks took place."
Qatar is also home to the U.S. military’s forward headquarters for its Mideast-based Central Command. The headquarters, located at the sprawling Al-Udeid Air Base, also has American-run radars and defense systems and recently hosted Trump on his tour of the region in May.
Stalled Gaza talks
Israel's attack in Qatar threatens to upend both negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel's efforts to reach out to Gulf Arab states, New York-based think tank The Soufan Center said in an analysis Wednesday.
“The attack has profound strategic implications because by striking a Gulf Cooperation Council state, Israel risks undermining the Abraham Accords and unraveling the fragile normalization framework with Arab partners,†the center said, referring to the 2020 diplomatic recognition deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
“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?†the center asked.
Arab leaders unite behind Qatar
The leader of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, traveled Wednesday to Qatar in a visit that likely underscores the growing unease the Emirates feels with Israel.
In recent days, the UAE warned Israel that any effort to annex the West Bank, part of land the Palestinians want for their future state, would be a “red line†that would threaten the Abraham Accords.
Qatar’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, welcomed Sheikh Mohammed. The two leaders had been on opposite sides of a political dispute for years during the first Trump administration that saw the UAE and three other nations boycott Doha.
The crown princes of Kuwait and Jordan also traveled to Qatar on Wednesday.
The state-run Qatar News Agency said Sheikh Tamim held a series of calls with world leaders, including Trump.
Sheikh Tamim condemned the attack and according to a readout of the call, said that Qatar holds Israel "responsible for its repercussions, in light of the policy of aggression they adopt that threatens the region’s stability and obstructs efforts to de-escalate and reach sustainable diplomatic solutions.â€
Associated Press writers Josef Federman and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report.
