The Israeli military carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday, with Saudi media reporting that the attack killed Khalil al-Hayya, a top figure in the militant group.
Khalil al-Hayya © Reuters
The Israeli military carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday, with Saudi media reporting that the attack killed Khalil al-Hayya, a top figure in the militant group.
Other high-ranking officials, including Khaled Meshaal and Zaher Jabarin, were also targeted in the operation.
According to witnesses, ten explosions were heard near what is believed to be the Hamas headquarters in the Katara district of the Qatari capital. Smoke was seen rising from the area shortly after the blasts.
A senior Israeli official confirmed the operation, codenamed “Summit of Fire”, saying: “We struck Hamas leaders in Qatar and are awaiting the results of the attack. There was consensus among political and security leaders to act.”
The strike comes at a sensitive moment, as a Hamas delegation was in Qatar to discuss the details of a potential hostage deal. In recent weeks, Israeli officials had openly suggested the possibility of targeting Hamas leaders abroad, including on Qatari soil.
The reported assassination of al-Hayya, if confirmed, would mark a major escalation in Israel’s campaign against Hamas, extending the conflict beyond Gaza and into the heart of the Gulf region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas on Wednesday of violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement after a military officer was wounded by an explosive device in Rafah and Israel vowed retaliation.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday met with Hamas political bureau officials in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing the agreement to its second phase, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the military would never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip for security reasons and that a civilian-military army unit would be established in the Palestinian enclave.
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