Israeli forces struck the capital city of Qatar, a U.S. strategic partner and Gaza cease-fire mediator, on Sept. 9, in an attack targeting Hamas leaders.
The Israeli military launched a surprise strike on Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 9, intending to eliminate several political leaders of Hamas.
Qatar has played the role of mediator throughout the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli strike comes as leaders of Hamas—an internationally designated terrorist organization—have been reviewing the latest U.S. proposal to secure the release of hostages the group took on Oct. 7, 2023, and bring an end to nearly two years of fighting in Gaza.
Here’s what we know about the Israeli strike and its consequences.
Hamas Officials Killed in Doha
“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, [they] are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a Sept. 9 statement announcing the strike.
Shortly after the strike, Hamas issued a statement claiming that five of its members were killed. The group named the deceased as Jihad Labbad, Hammam Al-Hayya, Abdullah Abdul Wahid, Moamen Hassouna, and Ahmed Al-Mamluk. The group stated that a member of a Qatari security service, who they identified as Cpl. Badr Al-Hamidi, was also killed in the strike.
The Epoch Times cannot independently verify the casualties from the strike.
For years, Hamas has maintained an office in Doha, placing an element of its political leadership outside of the Gaza Strip.
In the course of their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas and other Palestinian militants killed roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people back to the Gaza Strip as hostages. About 20 are still believed to be alive. While Hamas gunmen have continued to fight throughout the Gaza Strip and shuffle around the hostages from one secret location to the next, Hamas negotiators in Doha have sought to trade their remaining hostages in exchange for Israel to release potentially hundreds of Palestinians they have detained over the years on charges such as terrorism, to cease fighting and withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and to permit more humanitarian aid to enter the territory.
The Qatari government, which has not designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, has allowed the group to continue operating in its capital city of Doha. In the course of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Qatari government has offered to help mediate negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
Egypt and the United States have also served as two of the three primary mediators to negotiations in the ongoing conflict.
