Israel launches attack on Hamas chiefs in Qatar for ceasefire talks

Israel launched a strike yesterday on senior Hamas officials in Qatar, reportedly including the group's chief ceasefire negotiator, in an extraordinary attack on the territory of a US ally which the White House said "does not advance Israel or America's goals".

- Peter Beaumont, Andrew Roth

Hamas said in a statement that six people had been killed in the Doha attack, including the son of Hamas's exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya, but that its top leadership, including the group's ceasefire negotiations team, had survived.

Hours before the Israeli strike, its military had warned all of Gaza City's residents to evacuate before its planned offensive to take control of what it portrays as Hamas's last remaining stronghold, where hundreds of thousands of people are living under famine conditions.

White House officials later confirmed that the US had been informed in advance of the attack, which took place on the soil of an important regional US ally and a key mediator in attempts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

The impending strike led to a flurry of diplomatic activity, including a warning from the White House to the Qatari government about the attack and a follow-up phone call between Trump and Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said that Trump had been informed by the US military of the impending strike yesterday morning, and that he then directed the Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris.

However, Qatari officials denied to Reuters that Witkoff had contacted them beforehand, saying that they had received the warning only as the explosions in Doha began.

The White House appeared to be taking steps to limit the diplomatic fallout from the strike.

Leavitt said: "Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance" Israel or America's goals. However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.