Israel strikes Hamas officials in Qatar

Israel’s subject said it carried retired aerial strikes Tuesday targeting elder Hamas leaders successful the Qatari superior Doha, the venue of aggregate rounds of talks aimed astatine ending the Gaza war.

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Qatar, which is besides a cardinal US ally, condemned the strikes which it said targeted the homes of respective members of Hamas’s governmental bureau residing successful the Gulf country, wherever the militant group’s elder enactment is based.

The strikes were carried retired jointly by the Israeli subject and the Shin Bet information agency, the 2 bodies said successful a statement.

Neither Israeli officials nor home media person confirmed whether the strikes deed their intended targets. Hamas has besides not commented connected the destiny of its leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said helium ordered the strikes successful effect to a Monday shooting successful Jerusalem that killed six radical and was aboriginal claimed by Hamas.

“Yesterday, pursuing the deadly attacks successful Jerusalem and Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed each information agencies to hole for the anticipation of targeting Hamas leaders,” said a associated connection from Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz.

“Today astatine noon (0900 GMT), successful airy of an operational opportunity… the premier curate and the defence curate decided to instrumentality the directive fixed past night.”

A Hamas authoritative successful Gaza told AFP the group’s negotiators had been “targeted”, though it was not instantly wide whether the onslaught had caused immoderate casualties.

Among the cardinal Hamas leaders based successful Qatar are pb negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and governmental bureau main Khaled Meshaal.

A White House authoritative told AFP that Israel had notified the United States successful beforehand astir the strikes successful Qatar, which is location to a ample US subject base.

But Netanyahu’s bureau said the Israeli strikes were a “wholly independent” operation.

A video writer moving with AFP successful Doha saw a plume of fume rising from down a low-rise building.

“The sanction of the cognition successful Doha is Summit of Fire. These were aerial strikes,” an Israeli subject authoritative told AFP.

‘Flagrant violation’

Qatar condemned the attack, saying it had targeted residential buildings lodging Hamas governmental bureau members.

“The State of Qatar powerfully condemns the cowardly Israeli onslaught that targeted residential buildings lodging respective members of the governmental bureau of Hamas successful the Qatari capital, Doha,” overseas ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said successful a station connected X.

It is the archetypal clip Israel has carried retired aerial strikes successful the Western-backed Gulf state. Since Hamas’s October 2023 attack, it has besides carried retired strikes successful Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, arsenic good arsenic the Palestinian territories.

The Doha strikes travel little than 2 weeks aft Israel’s equipped forces main vowed to people Hamas leaders based abroad.

“Most of Hamas’s enactment is abroad, and we volition scope them arsenic well,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said connected August 31.

Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has led aggregate attempts to extremity the Israel-Hamas war, which was sparked by the Palestinian militant group’s October 7, 2023 onslaught connected Israel.

Despite sealing 2 impermanent truces which saw immoderate hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, the successive rounds of talks person failed to bring a lasting extremity to the war.

The main Israeli radical campaigning for the merchandise of hostages inactive held by Palestinian militants successful Gaza expressed “deep concern” pursuing the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders.

“The families of the hostages are pursuing the developments successful Doha with heavy interest and dense anxiety. A sedate fearfulness present hangs implicit the terms that the hostages whitethorn pay,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

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