Israel carries out strikes in Qatar to eliminate senior Hamas leadership in a serious strategic shift

This article by Jake Epstein was originally published by Business Insider.

Following reports of major explosions in Doha on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it carried out a “precise strike” against Hamas senior leadership.

Strikes into Qatar represent a shift in Israeli strategy, expanding the kill campaign against Hamas beyond the usual battlespaces.

The Israel Defense Forces said that the airstrike was carried out using unspecified aircraft and was done alongside the country’s Shin Bet internal security agency.

“Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence,” the IDF said in a statement, adding that it ” will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.”

Moments before the Israeli statement on the strikes against Hamas, explosions were reported in Doha, Qatar’s capital and a major regional business hub. It was not immediately clear who Israel was targeting, nor was it clear what the casualty situation was.

Qatar hosts the U.S. military’s largest installation in the Middle East, the Al Udeid Air Base, which Iran targeted with missiles in June. Business Insider asked the White House if the US was aware of the Israeli strikes ahead of time, but has yet to receive a response.

The Israeli strike marks a major escalation in the long and devastating war between Israel and Hamas, nearing its two-year mark, and is a rare instance where Israel has attempted to carry out an assassination of Hamas members beyond the embattled Gaza Strip.

Israel is believed to be behind the July 2024 assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’ political wing, in Tehran. Israel has also targeted enemies in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen and has a long history of hunting down foes for years.

Last week, the IDFChief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said “most of the remaining Hamas leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned Tuesday’s airstrike, calling it a “cowardly” attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the strike “was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”

The airstrike comes as Israel ramps up its military offensive in Gaza and may scuttle ceasefire efforts, which Qatar has played a key role in mediating throughout the war.

Feature Image: Smoke rises from a building where senior Hamas leaders were purportedly located, following a strike against it by Israel. (Osintdefender on X)

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