Middle East: Israel’s army attacks Hamas tip in Qatar

Doha/Tel Aviv (dpa) Israel’s army according to its own information has attacked the leadership of the Islamist Hamas in Doha, the capital of the Gulf State of Qatar. “For years these members of the Hamas leadership led the operations of the terrorist organization, are directly responsible for the brutal massacre of October 7 and orchestrated and headed for the war against the state of Israel,” said the Israeli military. Israel’s Air Force confirmed that she was involved in the attack. According to media reports, fighter jets and drones attacked.

Qatar expressed the attack sharply. It is a “blatant violation of all international rights and norms” and a “serious danger to the security” of the population in Qatar, according to the spokesman for the Madschid al-Ansari. For the time being, his country exposed his role as an intermediary between the two parties to the conflict, Israel and Hamas, in the Gaza War.

The AL-Arabija news channel reported that Chalil al-Haja was killed in the attack for preliminary information. There was initially no confirmation of the death of Al-Haja or other Hamas officials. The Israeli army broadcaster reported that the attack with the code name “Feuer summit” had taken the remaining leadership of the Islamist organization.

Al-Haja is the highest Hamas leader abroad, who also leads the Hamas delegation for an ceasefire in the indirect negotiations with Israel. Al-Haja stayed in Qatar most of the time. Other higher Hamas officials abroad also mostly live in Qatar or in Turkey.

Netanyahu: Attack on Hamas in Qatar of Israel initiated

According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel took over full responsibility for the attack in Qatar. “Today’s campaign against the leading terrorist leaders of Hamas was a completely independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel carried out it,” said a statement by Netanyahu’s office.

Hamas sources confirmed Al-Jasira that the attack on the organization’s negotiation team had targeted.

The Israeli television station Channel 12, citing Israeli government agents, reported that US President Donald Trump approved the attack in advance.

Qatar speaks of attack on residential areas

Israel’s attack had targeted residential areas in which members of the Hamas political office lived, said foreign office spokesman Al-Ansari.

After the explosion in the Qatarian capital, there was a large cloud of smoke, as the television stations Al-Arabija and Al-Dschasira reported. The Qatarian news site Doha News showed a destroyed building in front of a black off -road vehicle. Doha News also reported that Israel had attacked the Hamas negotiation team.

Katar mediates together with Egypt and the USA in the Gaza War between Israel and Hamas. Negotiations for a ceasefire have not been making ahead for months. Meanwhile, Israel’s government intends to fully occupy the city of Gaza militarily.

Waffenruhe in January was a triumph for Al-Haja about Israel

Al-Haja described the agreement on a ceasefire as a triumph about Israel at the beginning of the year. “Our people have thwarted the declared and hidden goals of the crew. Today we prove that the crew will never defeat our people and their resistance,” Al-Haja continued.

The ceasefire, which came into force in January, collapsed after two months. Israel had refused to negotiate the end of the war in the course of a next phase of the ceasefire, as it was originally agreed.

The massacres of Israelis of October 7, 2023 described Al-Haja as the turning point in the history of the Palestinian cause, in which Israel had been hit to the mark. Hamas will continue to be aligned with snapping Jerusalem and the Al-Aksa mosque Israel, said Al-Haja. He added: “Our enemy will never see a moment of weakness.”

Catar’s demands to close the Hamas office

After the riots of the Arabic uprisings in the region, Hamas opened a political office in Qatar in 2012. A lot of money had already flowed from the golfemirate to Hamas, who had taken over the power in the Gaza Strip in 2007. After Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 on Israel, demands to the government of Katar Lauter became the office.

The Israeli chief of staff Ejal Zamir had threatened attacks on Hamas leader abroad ten days ago. “We are not yet finished with our actions,” he said after an attack on the Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida. “Most Hamas leaders are abroad and we will also penetrate them.”

The Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz had also noticed a sharp warning to Hamas until Monday. “Today a huge hurricane will break in over the sky of the city of Gaza and the roofs of the terroric high-rise buildings will shake,” wrote Katz in a post on the platform X. “This is the last warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Leave the hostages and lay the weapons-or Gaza is being destroyed and you will be destroyed and you will be destroyed”, ” Katz continued.

Warnings to the Hamas of Israel and the USA

Previously, US President Donald Trump had already pronounced a “last warning” to Hamas in order to force a diplomatic solution shortly before Israel’s further push in the city of Gaza.

Since the beginning of the Gaza War almost two years ago, Israel has already killed numerous rank-high Hamas guides and commanders in the Gaza Strip, including Jihia al-Sinwar and Mohammed Deif. Israel killed the then political leader of Hamas, Ismail Hanija, at an attack in Tehran.

Israel’s Minister of Police speaks of “historical decision”

The Israeli Minister of Police Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote about the attack in Qatar that Jewish blood should no longer be shed unpunished. “The decision that we have made to attack those who brought the massacre from October 7th is another historical decision in a number of important and historical resolutions that we have made,” he wrote to X. “I wrote my enemies and caught up with it, do not turn around until I have destroyed them,” he quoted from the Bible.

UN General Secretary condemns attack

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has sharply criticized the Israeli attack on Hamas’ leadership in Qatar. “I condemned this blatant violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Katar,” said Guterres in New York. “All parties have to work towards permanent ceasefire and must not destroy it.” Qatar had played a positive role in the efforts of a weapon rune and the release of the hostages in the Gaza Strip.

In contrast, sharp criticism came from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Jordan’s Foreign Minister described the attack as “cowardly aggression” spoke on X of a blatant violation of international law.

The emiratic presidential advisor Anwar Gargasch called the attack an “insidious Israeli attack”. The United Arab countries are firmly on the side of their sister state. “In full solidarity with the dear Qatar,” said Emiratic Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Sajid.