Inside Israel's audacious airstrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, a U.S. ally

Israel assigned at least 10 warplanes to the operation, each carrying long-range 'over the horizon' missiles

- Dov Lieber, Summer Said & Lara Seligman

Hamas's senior leaders—long hiding in host countries across the Middle East—flew this past weekend to the group's headquarters in the Qatari capital of Doha. On the agenda: a new U.S. cease-fire plan for Gaza, apparently with Israeli backing.

Israel had vowed to track down and kill every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that left 1,200 Israelis dead and some 250 hostages taken, but hitting them in Qatar, a Gulf ally of the U.S., was off limits. Now, Israeli officials had a shot and decided no taboo would stop them from taking it—even at the risk of straining relations with the Trump administration.

By noon Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given the green light for an audacious attack on Qatari soil, targeting a residence used by Hamas figures in the dusty northern suburbs of Doha—the same place where the militant group's leaders celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks.

More than 10 Israeli jet fighters fired long-range munitions at the house, causing explosions heard across the capital. It was a sharp escalation of Israel's tactics against the U.S.-designated terrorist group, targeting its leaders in a sovereign country that mediates Gaza peace talks and hosts the most important U.S. air base in the region.

Israel went after Hamas leaders including Khalil Al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, political operatives who steer the group's international relations and help raise funds but don't join in fighting like the military wing in Gaza. According to Hamas, the leadership survived the strike, while five lower-ranking members were killed. Israel has yet to comment on the results of the attack.

If the strike didn't hit the intended targets, it still sent a clear message. When it comes to its security, Israel will show very little concern for red lines or diplomatic fallout, and old havens aren't reliably safe anymore.