Israel Attacks the Hamas Leadership in Doha

Overview

• On September 9, 2025, Israel attacked a building in Doha, Qatar, where the Hamas negotiating team was thought to be holding a meeting, led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip. The results of the attack were inconclusive and it is still unclear who was harmed. Hamas reported that five of al-Hayya’s close associates were killed, including his son and his chief of staff, but claimed there were no movement leadership casualties. However, so far no pictures have been released of some of the senior figures, including al-Hayya, and their condition is unknown.
• Hamas called the attack a “crime” and proof that Israel did not want to end the war or reach an agreement for the release of the hostages.
• Qatar called the attack “state terrorism” and threatened a harsh response, warning that it would reconsider its continued involvement as mediator in the negotiations for the release of the hostages and ending the war in the Gaza Strip. An Arab-Islamic emergency summit convened in Doha and condemned the attack, and called for a reexamination of relations with Israel without citing practical measures.
• The American president publicly criticized the attack, although he stressed the need to eliminate Hamas. Other Western countries also condemned Israel for violating Qatar’s sovereignty.
• In ITIC assessment, in the short term, the attack shook the Qatari-Egyptian mediation channel and could delay the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. On the other hand, the added pressure on the Hamas leadership and its increased security might make them compromise on their demands. On the deterrent level, Israel demonstrated its ability and determination to act against senior Hamas figures even in places they considered “safe,” thereby limiting their freedom of maneuver and forcing them to invest resources in securing their safety.

The Attack

• On September 9, 2025, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) attacked the Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar. According to official announcement, the leaders had led Hamas activities for years, and bore direct responsibility for the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre and for managing the war against Israel. It was also emphasized that before the attack, measures were taken to minimize harm to uninvolved civilians (IDF and Shin Bet spokesperson’s units, September 9, 2025).

• Hamas claimed that none of the movement’s leadership or ceasefire negotiating team has been killed in the attack. The dead were reported as Jihad Labad (Abu Bilal), who served as al-Hayya’s chief of staff; al-Hayya’s son, Haimam al-Hayya; and three of al-Hayya’s escorts (Hamas Telegram channel, September 9, 2025).

• Later, “Hamas sources” reported that two members of the movement’s political bureau had been wounded in the attack, one of them critically. According to the “sources,” the two unnamed figures were under heavy security and receiving medical care in a private hospital. They added that the compound that was hit included offices and houses, all belonging to Hamas leaders, senior figures and their guards, including a villa belonging to Khalil al-Hayya. They claimed the Hamas leadership meeting was held in an office which belonged to Hamas’ former political bureau chief, Isma’il Haniyeh, adjacent to al-Hayya’s home, and “almost part of his house.” Reportedly, one of the bombs hit a corner of Haniyeh’s office injuring members of the political bureau “who were sitting in another corner, relatively far from the point of impact.” In the assessment of the “sources,” Israel had relied mainly on the locations of cell phones, but political bureau members did not usually bring their phones into meetings, instead leaving them in their cars or with their escorts, which could explain the number of casualties among escorts (al-Sharq al-Awsat, September 10, 2025).
• On September 11, 2025, during the funerals of those killed in the attack, Hamas figures Izzat al-Rishq, Osama Hamdan, and Husam Badran were seen among the participants, while other senior officials, including Khalil al-Hayya, were absent (Shehab Agency, September 11, 2025).
• On September 12, 2025, Hamas announced that Khalil al-Hayya had not been killed in the attack and had held a mourning prayer in Qatar for those killed. However, no documentation of the event was released (Hamas Telegram channel, September 12, 2025). On September 14, 2025, Hamas Taher al-Nunu, who had been a target of the attack, gave his first media interview (al-Jazeera, September 14, 2025).

Reactions from Hamas

• Hamas issued a statement condemning what it called an “Israeli attempt to assassinate the movement’s negotiating delegation in Doha, a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and a breach of international law,” and noted that the attempt had failed. According to Hamas, attacking the delegation hen it was discussing the latest ceasefire and hostage release proposal from the American president “proved” that Netanyahu and his government did not want any agreement and were deliberately working to sabotage “possibilities” and international efforts, ignoring the lives of the “captives” [hostages] held by the “resistance,”^[1] as well as state sovereignty, regional security and stability. Hamas added that the American administration shared responsibility with Israel for the “crime” due to its continued support for Israel’s “aggression and crimes” against the Palestinians, claiming the assassination attempt would not change Hamas’ often reiterated positions or demands in the negotiations, that is, a cessation of the “aggression” against the Palestinians, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, a prisoner exchange deal, aid to the Palestinians, and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip (Hamas Telegram channel, September 9,2025). Senior Hamas figures also accused the Israeli prime minister of trying to sabotage the negotiations:
  • Suhail al-Hindi, a member of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, said that the leadership had survived the assassination attempt. He accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of seeking to destroy the chance for a ceasefire and negotiations, adding that the Palestinian people remained free, would not raise a white flag, and would not cease “resisting”^[2] with all their strength. He added that even if the Hamas leadership had been harmed, the Palestinian people would bring forth new leaders and fighters as long as the “occupation and its crimes” continued. He claimed that Hamas did not seek wars and bloodshed but freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people (Hamas Telegram channel, September 10, 2025).
  • Hamas figure Fawzi Barhoum said that the assassination attempt had occurred just one day after a meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, who had conveyed a new proposal on behalf of the American president, and at the moment of the attack the negotiating delegation was discussing its response to the proposal. He claimed the attack was directed at the home Khalil al-Hayya, where his family was present. His wife was injured, and his daughter-in-law, his son Haimam’s wife, was killed, as were his grandchildren. Barhoum said the attack “proved” that Netanyahu and his government bore sole responsibility for the failure of the negotiations. He accused the American administration of being a “partner in crime,” bearing political and moral responsibility by providing backing and support for Israel’s “aggression and crimes” against the Palestinians. He said “this and other Zionist crimes” would not succeed in changing Hamas’ “firm positions” (Hamas Telegram channel, September 11, 2025).
  • Osama Hamdan, a Hamas figure who lives in Lebanon, claimed the world now understood who was delaying the agreement, calling it “a direct attack on the American president’s ceasefire initiative.” He said Hamas was waiting for the results of the Qatari prime minister’s meetings in the United States to determine whether the Americans were planning to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops, open crossings for aid, begin reconstruction and effect a prisoner exchange deal (al-Jazeera, September 12, 2025).
  • Husam Badran, a member of the Hamas political who was among the targets of the attack in Qatar, condemned the attack and called Israel a “gang of murderers and terrorists” with military capabilities and extremist ideology. He claimed Israel was a “real threat” to regional security and stability and added that the blood of Hamas leaders was not more precious than the blood of children, the elderly and women in the Gaza Strip. Attacks, he said, would not affect leadership decisions or the ongoing coordination between the “factions”^[3] for a joint national decision (Hamas Telegram channel, September 10, 2025).

Reactions from Qatar

• Qatar condemned the Israeli attack on Hamas’ leadership in its capital and threatened retaliation. It said the attack undermined the chances of ending the war in the Gaza Strip and releasing the remaining hostages and could lead Qatar to halt its involvement in mediating between Israel and Hamas:
  • Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said his country was “outraged” by the attack, calling it “state terrorism.” He added that he believed it had “eliminated all hope for the hostages remaining in Gaza” and that Prime Minister Netanyahu was “trying to undermine every chance for stability and peace.” He claimed “everyone” knew, especially Israelis and Americans, that he had met with Hamas leadership as part of Qatar’s involvement as mediator in the negotiations. Abdulrahman added that they were “reassessing everything” about their involvement in any future negotiations, claiming they were “dialoguing with the United States on how to proceed.” Responding to Netanyahu’s statement that countries hosting senior Hamas officials should expel them or bring them to trial, Abdulrahman said “Netanyahu should be brought to trial. He is the one wanted by the International Criminal Court” (CNN, September 10, 2025).

• • The Qatari foreign ministry condemned Prime Minister Netanyahu’s attempts to justify the Israeli attack in Doha, calling his justifications “baseless and completely contradictory to Qatar’s efforts to promote regional and international peace, ongoing since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip [which began] on October 7, 2023.” Qatar’s hosting Hamas representatives had been part of Qatar’s mediating role, at the request of the United States and other countries, said the foreign ministry. It also claimed that Qatar had played an important role in many of the successes, including the release of hostages, humanitarian ceasefires and the increase of aid deliveries. The ministry added that the negotiations had been conducted officially and openly with the participation of American and Israeli delegations, and the attempt to present them as illegitimate was intended “to distract from the fact that Qatar and Hamas were about to take another step forward in continuing efforts to reach an agreement” (Qatari foreign ministry, September 11, 2025).
  • At the first meeting of the Qatari legal team, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khalifi, minister of state at the foreign ministry, said the team was examining all possible legal avenues available following the attack. He noted Qatar’s commitment to international law, to protecting its sovereignty and to safeguarding its rights by legitimate means. He defined Israel’s action as a “treacherous attack” and a serious violation of international law and international conventions (al-Jazeera Mubasher, September 10, 2025).

Responses from the Arab World

• The Israeli attack was widely condemned in the Arab world, along with expressions of support for Qatar:
  • Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his deputy Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the attack, without mentioning that Hamas was the target. They called it a “serious violation” of international law and Qatari sovereignty which posed a threat to regional security and stability (Wafa, September 9, 2025).
  • Speaking before the Saudi Arabian parliament, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned the “occupation’s” attacks in the region, the latest of which was in Qatar. He said the attack required urgent Arab, Islamic and international action to confront it, and that steps had to be taken internationally to stop the “occupation authority” from continuing its “destabilization practices.” He added that Saudi Arabia would stand by Qatar without limitation and would mobilize all its capabilities to aid Qatar (Saudi Press Agency, September 10, 2025).
  • Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met in Doha with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad and expressed Egypt’s full support for Qatar following the “Israeli aggression,” claiming it was a dangerous precedent which undermined collective Arab security. He said a threat to Qatar’s security was a direct threat to Arab national security (Egyptian foreign ministry Facebook page, September 11, 2025).
  • “Egyptian sources” reported that Egypt had warned Israel not to consider targeting Palestinian leaders living in Cairo and that for a long time Egyptian intelligence had known Israel intended to assassinate senior Palestinian officials living in Egypt (al-Waad Agency, September 10, 2025). An “Egyptian diplomatic source” reported that despite doubts about the American president’s commitment to prevent another attack on Qatar in the near future, contacts continued between Cairo, Doha and other parties to secure the safety of Hamas leaders in Doha and elsewhere. Cairo reportedly rejected the idea of hosting senior Hamas figures in Algeria for political and security reasons, and promoted an alternative whereby the movement’s senior officials would stay in designated hotels in Cairo (al-Akhbar, September 12, 2025).
  • UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad in Doha to discuss the “Israeli aggression.” Bin Zayed reportedly called the “Israeli aggression” a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international norms, and damaged regional stability and peace efforts. He added that the UAE supported all measures taken by Doha to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity (WAM (Emirates News Agency), September 10, 2025). The UAE foreign ministry stated that Qatar’s security and stability were an inseparable part of the security and stability of the Gulf States and that any attack on one was an attack on the security of the entire Gulf (UAE foreign ministry X account, September 11, 2025).

• On September 15, 2025, following the Israeli attack, an Arab-Islamic emergency summit was held in Doha by heads of state and foreign ministers. Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad said his country had been subjected to a “treacherous attack” on a residence where the families of Hamas leaders and their negotiating delegation lived, adding that Qataris and the world had been “surprised and shocked” by the attack. He accused Israel of rejecting peace with its neighbors and seeking to impose its will, and noted that the region was confident Israel’s plans would not succeed, adding that practical steps were needed to confront “Israeli arrogance.” He claimed the release of the hostages was not Prime Minister Netanyahu’s top priority because the negotiations were “a political tactic” accompanying the war. He asked how Qatar could host Israeli delegations for negotiations “while the one who sent them was [allegedly] planning to bomb the state.” He added that “whoever acts against a negotiating party is acting to thwart the negotiations.” He said the Qataris were determined to do whatever was necessary to preserve their sovereignty “and confront Israeli aggression” (al-Araby TV, September 15, 2025).

• The summit condemned “Israel’s aggression and violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.” It said the “aggression” undermined the chance of achieving regional peace, was a “dangerous escalation” and an attack on diplomatic efforts to restore peace. The statement said the participants completely rejected Israel’s repeated threats regarding the possibility of attacking again in Qatar or in any Arab state, noted the need to stand against Israel’s plans “to impose a new reality in the region” and called for urgent international action to put an end to the repeated Israeli attacks. However, the concluding statement did not include practical measures against Israel. The summit participants called on all states to reconsider their diplomatic and economic relations with Israel (al-Araby TV, September 15, 2025).

Responses from the World at Large

• The American president said the attack had been a decision taken “unfortunately” by Israel’s prime minister and not by him. He said an attack on Qatar, a sovereign state and a close American ally which was working hard and taking risks to mediate for peace, did not advance either American or Israeli goals. However, he emphasized that “eliminating Hamas is a worthy objective.” Trump also said the “unfortunate incident” could be an opportunity for peace and he had spoken with Qatar’s leadership and promised them such a thing would not happen again (Trump’s personal social media account, September 9, 2025).
• The UN Security Council condemned attacks on Qatari territory without explicitly naming Israel. The statement said the members of the Security Council noted the importance of reducing escalation and expressed solidarity with Qatar, stressed the role Qatar played in regional mediation efforts alongside Egypt and the United States, and called for the release of the hostages and an end to the war and suffering in the Gaza Strip (Reuters, September 12, 2025).
• Turkish President Erdogan condemned the Israeli attack in Doha, calling it a “violation” of international law and an attack on Qatar’s sovereignty. He claimed the attack once again showed that Israel intended to escalate the conflict and damage regional stability, said Turkey stood by the Palestinians and Qatar and said that “those who turned terrorism into policy will never achieve their goal” (Erdogan’s X account, September 9, 2025).
• Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, president of the UAE, spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron about the Israeli attack in Qatar. Both condemned “the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and the threat to regional security and stability” (UAE News Agency, September 12, 2025).
• Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said her country had decided to reassess its relations with Israel following the attack in Qatar. She described the attack as “unacceptable,” particularly in light of Qatar’s efforts to promote peace in the Middle East (Al Jazeera Mubasher, September 11, 2025).

^[1] Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.
^[2] Attacking Israel.
^[3] Terrorist organizations.

Related Articles