Israel Strikes Hamas in Qatar, Sparking Diplomatic Crisis

On September 10, the United States said it does not share responsibility for an Israeli airstrike on Qatar that targeted senior Hamas leaders, with President Donald Trump stating on Truth Social that the attack was “Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision, not mine.” Trump added that he had spoken with the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar, assuring them that such an incident would not happen again.

The strike, carried out on September 9, was aimed at senior Hamas officials, including Khalil al-Hayya, Israeli officials told Reuters. Israel is still gathering information and has not confirmed whether any Hamas leaders were killed, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Hamas reported that five of its representatives were killed, including the son of al-Hayya, but said the Israeli attack failed to eliminate all members of its negotiating team. Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera that the group’s top leadership survived.

Israel did not initially deny responsibility. Qatar condemned the attack, calling it a betrayal and “state terrorism.” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani warned that the strike could derail Qatar-mediated peace talks between Hamas and Israel. Qatar reported that one member of its internal security forces was killed and several others wounded. Al-Thani said, “Qatar reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack and will take all necessary measures.”

Trump said the US military had received a warning about the strike, though he did not clarify whether it came directly from Israel. He stated that he had instructed U.S. Ambassador Steve Witkoff to alert Qatar, but Qatari officials denied receiving a warning prior to the explosions in Doha.

The United States described the attack as a unilateral action that did not serve American or Israeli interests. Trump said he was “very unhappy” with all aspects of the strike, noting that while Hamas was a legitimate target, carrying out the attack in Qatar — a major non-NATO ally and host of Hamas’s political base — created serious complications.