Netanyahu takes war on Hamas to Qatar

Strike is part of pledge to avenge the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack, Israeli leader says.

- BY NABIH BULOS

PALESTINIANS flee from Al-Nuwairi Hill, west of the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

Israel launched what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “surgical, precision strike” on Hamas’ political leadership Tuesday in the Qatari capital, Doha, killing six people in a barrage Qatari authorities condemned as a “cowardly Israeli attack.”

The attack came as Israel is ramping up for a full invasion of Gaza City, warning residents to evacuate ahead of a ground operation even as it continues in stalled negotiations with Hamas militants.

In a televised address, Netanyahu said the attack was part of Israel's vow to hunt down perpetrators of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel.

“Today, Israel and I kept that promise,” he said. “The days are over when terror leaders can enjoy immunity.”

Hamas, in a statement, said all of its negotiating team — which was meeting to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal from President Trump — survived, but that five members of the militant group were killed, along with a Qatari security officer. The attack, Hamas said, “confirms beyond doubt that Netanyahu and his government do not want to reach any agreement."

Videos and television broadcasts showed black smoke rising from buildings in Doha’s Katara district, a normally quiet residential area where several of Hamas’ top-ranking members have lived for years. One video depicts pedestrians running and screaming as a pair of explosions echoes through the neighborhood.

Hamas is one of several groups Qatar has allowed on its soil as part of its growing reputation as a regional facilitator. Qatar agreed to host a political office for Hamas at the request of the U.S. government, it says, and has hosted repeated mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel over the last 23 months of the war in Gaza.