Israel says it targeted senior Hamas leaders in a strike in Qatar

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike targeting senior Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday.

Television footage from Doha showed a cloud of smoke rising over the area where the bombing took place. There was no immediate confirmation of casualties.

This is the first time Israel has carried out a strike in Doha. It marks an escalation in Israel’s war against Hamas, in a location that has played host to mediation efforts to end the conflict.

Israel’s military said in a statement the Hamas leaders targeted were directly responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and have since been “orchestrating and managing” the war against Israel.

This frame grab taken from an AFPTV footage shows a man looking at smoke billowing after explosions in Doha on Tuesday.

Jacqueline Penney/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

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Jacqueline Penney/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

Qatar’s government denounced the strike. “The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.”

The Qatari statement added that the country “will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior, which continuously undermines the region’s security.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he condemns “this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.” Speaking during a news conference about a report on global military spending, he noted Qatar “has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” and said “all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Jordan also condemned the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz later said in a joint statement they had instructed officials to prepare for a possible strike on Hamas leaders following a shooting by two Palestinian gunmen that killed six Israelis at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Monday. Hamas on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the shooting in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu and Katz said they approved the Doha strike midday Tuesday “in light of an operational opportunity.”

The strike came 2 1/2 months after Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, used by the U.S. military’s Central Command, was attacked by Iran in retaliation for the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites.

This is a developing story, which may be updated.