• Hamas says its five members killed, Gaza chief survives
• US distances itself from attack, though White House says it was ‘informed’
• Qatar PM warns Doha reserves right to respond • Pakistan calls for holding Israel accountable for destabilising already-volatile region • World leaders flay Tel Aviv for ‘violation of international law’ • Aid flotilla defiant after being hit by drone
DOHA: Expanding its web of unlawful military actions in the region, Israel launched[1] a surprise airstrike against Qatar — which has been instrumental in trying to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza — that claimed the lives of five people.
The strike, which the US had advance information of, targeted the Hamas negotiating team, drawing widespread condemnation and sharp reactions from global leaders and states.
Qatar’s prime minister warned his country reserved the right to respond to Israel’s deadly attack, calling it a “pivotal moment” for the region.
“Qatar… reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a press conference.
“We believe that today we have reached a pivotal moment. There must be a response from the entire region to such barbaric actions,” he added.
The attack came shortly after a boat in the Samud Flotilla, heading to Gaza, was targeted by an Israeli drone, off the coast of Tunisia.
Hamas said that five of its members had been killed in the attack, including the son of Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya. However, Al Hayya was said to be safe and Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera that the group’s top leadership had survived the attack.
Several explosions were heard in Doha on Tuesday and plumes of black smoke were seen billowing from the city’s Legtifya petrol station.
Next door to the petrol station is a small residential compound that has been guarded by Qatar’s Emiri Guard 24 hours a day since the beginning of the Gaza conflict.
Ambulances and at least 15 police and unmarked government cars thronged the streets around the blast site an hour after the strike.
Qatar’s interior ministry said a member of the security forces was also killed in Israel’s attack.
White House ‘on board’?
“The Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, declining to add details when asked to clarify how the military obtained that information.
But Qatar denied receiving advance warning from the US, saying the notification came after the attack had already started.
“Statements circulating about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are false. The call received from an American official came as explosions sounded from the Israeli attack in Doha,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari posted[2] on X.
But the White House also distanced itself from Israel’s strikes, with Leavitt saying that while eliminating Hamas was a “worthy goal”, a strike in the Qatari capital “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”.
In his call with the Qatari leader, Trump “assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”
Asked if he had made that clear to Netanyahu, Leavitt replied that Trump had “overstressed the importance of peace in the region” in his call with the Israeli premier.
Pakistan’s reaction
The Foreign Office condemned[3] the Israeli aggression against Qatar in the strongest possible terms. “This highly provocative and reckless action constitutes a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty as well as international law, the UN Charter, and the established norms governing interstate relations”, it said.
This reckless action by Israel is yet another manifestation of its continued disregard for international peace and security, and its policy of destabilising the region, it said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned the Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to condemn the unlawful and heinous bombing in Doha by Israeli forces. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also denounced[4] the Israeli attack on Doha, saying that targeting civilians and sovereign territory was an indefensible act of aggression.
World response
The Israeli action was met with condemnation from nearly all quarters.
Speaking to media, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the Israeli strikes are a flagrant violation of sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Qatar. All parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”
“There’s some really serious news right now: Israel’s attack on some Hamas leaders in Qatar. The entire situation is very serious,” Pope Leo said outside his summer residence. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas condemned the Israeli air strikes, warning they threatened regional security.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, called the Israeli attack on Doha “blatant and cowardly”.
Regional power Saudi Arabia denounced what it called a “brutal Israeli aggression” against Qatar’s sovereignty.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Israel’s attack on Hamas officials in Qatar is ‘dangerous’ and a ‘violation of international law’.
Attack on flotilla
Activists on a Gaza aid flotilla that was targeted[5] by a “drone attack” remained “determined” to reach the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
The flotilla organisers had said late Monday that one of their boats was hit by a suspected UAV off the coast of Tunisia, but authorities there said “no drones” had been detected.
But security footage posted by the flotilla organisers later showed a burning mass falling from a distance onto the ship.
Some members of the flotilla said they saw the drone, adding that the boat’s bow caught fire immediately after.
Also, former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, in a social media post, said that the Israeli attack represents the worst form of brutality, while the rulers and generals of the Islamic world facilitate Israel by remaining silent, neutral, or limiting themselves to empty statements.
Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2025