Israel carries out strike on senior Hamas leaders in Qatari capital

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

Reports from Doha spoke of as many as eight separate explosions, with plumes of smoke rising above the city.

Within minutes, Israel took responsibility; the military saying this was a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas.

Israel initiated it, conducted it and takes full responsibility, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on social media. He called it a wholly independent Israeli operation, reacting perhaps to Israeli media reports that Washington may have been informed and have given a green light.

In Doha, the Qatari government reacted with fury, calling the attack reckless and cowardly, and a blatant violation of all international laws and norms. Similar statements of outrage came from across the Arab world.

The strike came just two days after the Trump administration announced its latest, somewhat sketchy proposals to end the war in Gaza.

It’s likely the Hamas leaders were meeting precisely to discuss them. With reports still coming in from the scene, it’s not known how many of them, if any, are still alive.