Doubts on 'success' of Israeli Qatar attack, after Hamas leadership 'survives'

Israel’s unprecedented strike on the Qatari capital of Doha has unleashed a storm of international criticism, raising serious questions about its "effectiveness" with the Hamas leadership appearing to survive the attack.

The strike led to a rare public rebuke of Benjamin Netanyahu by US President Donald Trump, although questions remain regarding Washington's knowledge about the strike that targeted one of its foremost Gulf allies and took place not far from a major American airbase.

The Israeli operation targeted a residential compound in Doha during a Hamas negotiating session looking into a Gaza ceasefire proposal.

A total of six individuals were killed: five Hamas-affiliated figures, including the son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, his chief of staff and three bodyguards, as well as one Qatari Internal Security Force member.

Hamas said its senior political leaders survived and dismissed Israel's attempt to assassinate them as a failure. It confirmed the deaths of al-Hayya's son and aides.

Israeli officials, quoted anonymously in Hebrew-language media, also expressed doubt about the mission’s success. One source said there was "no indication that the terrorists were killed", while others were described as pessimistic that any of the main targets had been eliminated.

Another Israeli official suggested the attack may have succeeded primarily in instilling fear in Hamas's leadership.

Qatari outrage

Qatar immediately condemned the strike as cowardly and a flagrant violation of international law. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani called it treacherous state terrorism aimed at destabilising the region.

He said Doha learned of the assault only ten minutes after it began and vowed that Qatar "will not tolerate any violation of its sovereignty"  and "reserves the right to respond", while announcing a full review of security protocols. Sources indicated that Qatar cut off negotiations with the Israeli delegation, and planned to convene an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in response.

Sources told The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the strike came just minutes after a Hamas negotiating delegation had concluded its meeting in Doha. In response, Qatar suspended all contacts with the Israeli negotiating team. Foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Doha was now working to convene an Arab-Islamic summit by the end of the week to coordinate a regional response.

The strikes seemingly unified Gulf state, with UAE  President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Qatar on Wednesday, UAE state news agency WAM reported, in a show of solidarity a day after Israel launched an airstrike targeting Hamas officials in Doha.

Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein is also expected to visit on Wednesday, while Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to arrive in Doha on Thursday, according to Reuters

The Israeli Mossad and US officials promised Qatar that there would be no attack in Qatari territory, according to a Washington Post report.

Following a statement by Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in late August that Israel would target Hamas leaders abroad, Qatar sought assurances from both the White House and Israel that no strike would occur in Doha. Those assurances were given, making Tuesday’s attack a "total surprise", a Qatari official told the paper.

US denial

The White House also claims to have been caught off guard, though it initially claimed it had knowledge of the attacks and had even warned Qatar, something Doha strenuously denied. 

According to the Trump administration, US radar had tracked Israeli jets heading east toward the Gulf on Tuesday morning, but by the time Israel provided clarification, its missiles were already airborne. Trump ordered his envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatari officials, but the bombs had already struck when the message was delivered, according to reports.

Many critics say that the US must have known of the attacks beforehand, but is now distancing itself from the strike on an ally amid its perceived "failure" and backlash. 

Trump told reporters: "We want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today." On social media he stressed: "This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me. I view Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had given Netanyahu a "very clear" message about his concerns, underlining how unusual the public rebuke was from a president who has otherwise provided him with steadfast backing.

'US credibility at risk'

According to The Wall Street Journal, more than 10 Israeli fighter jets took part in the operation, firing at least 10 long-range missiles at a building in suburban Doha from outside Qatari, Saudi or Emirati airspace.

The paper also reported that Egypt and Turkey had recently issued firm warnings to Hamas leaders to step up their security, though without specifying a reason.

Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political bureau since 2012 and serves alongside the US and Egypt as a mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks. It is also home to the Al-Udeid airbase, the largest American military facility in the region, and recently gifted the United States a Boeing 747-8 for presidential use.

Trump telephoned Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to assure him such an incident would not be repeated, and directed his administration to advance a defence cooperation pact with Doha.

Gershon Baskin, a mediator between Hamas and the United States, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Trump’s credibility was at stake. He said that if Israel acted without a green light from Washington, the only way for Trump to salvage the reputation of the United States was to bring about an immediate end to the war.

Failure to do so, he said, would be seen as an admission that Washington had approved the strike on Qatari territory.