By Nadine Osman
London, (The Muslim News): Israel has been accused of deliberately sabotaging peace efforts after carrying out a deadly airstrike on Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar, as they were discussing a US-brokered ceasefire proposal. The attack, which Israel admitted was coordinated with Washington and approved by US President Donald Trump, has been condemned as a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law.
The most explosive development came on Tuesday when Israeli fighter jets carried out a strike in Doha’s Katara neighbourhood, one of the capital’s most prominent districts. The attack caused multiple explosions that sent plumes of smoke into the sky, sparking panic among residents and bystanders.
Eyewitnesses said the target was a residential complex where senior members of Hamas’s political bureau lived and worked. According to a senior Hamas official speaking to Al Jazeera, the negotiating team were meeting there to discuss Trump’s latest ceasefire and prisoner-swap proposal.
Israeli media quickly confirmed the nature of the operation. Channel 12 reported that the strike had been coordinated with Washington and was personally approved by Trump. The Walla news outlet added that the target was “senior Hamas leadership in Doha”, with the Israeli military issuing a terse statement describing the raid as a “precise strike”.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an unusually forceful condemnation, “The State of Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential headquarters where several members of the Hamas political bureau reside in the Qatari capital, Doha. This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and a dangerous threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.
“The ministry confirms that the security services, civil defence, and concerned authorities have immediately dealt with the incident and taken necessary measures to contain its consequences and ensure the safety of residents and the surrounding areas.
“As the State of Qatar strongly condemns this attack, it affirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour and continued tampering with regional security and any action that targets its security and sovereignty, and that investigations are underway at the highest level, and more details will be announced as soon as they become available.”
Saudi Arabia also condemned Israel’s actions in a sharply worded statement, “Saudi Arabia condemns, in the strongest terms, the brutal Israeli aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar.
“It also warns of the grave consequences resulting from the Israeli occupation’s persistence in its criminal transgressions and its blatant violation of the principles of international law and all international norms.”
Senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said the United Arab Emirates “stands wholeheartedly with our sisterly state of Qatar” and denounced the Israeli strike as “treacherous”:
“The security of the Arab Gulf states is indivisible. The UAE condemns the treacherous Israeli attack that targeted it. We stand in full solidarity with [Qatar] in confronting this aggression.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also weighed in, describing the bombing as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.” He warned that such actions threatened to derail fragile ceasefire efforts: “We are just learning about the Israeli attacks in Qatar, a country that has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and release of all hostages. All sides must work towards peace, not destroy it.”
However, Western countries have not said anything as yet. President Trump has been quiet so has UK PM Keir Starmer.
The attack has intensified doubts about the viability of negotiations. Iran had been preparing to meet US officials for the sixth round of talks when it too came under fire days earlier.
Commentators questioned why Palestinian or regional actors would risk further negotiations if such talks themselves were being targeted. The strike also follows Israel’s decision to scupper a Gaza ceasefire agreement in March, further eroding trust in diplomatic channels.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza
Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza continues to climb amid relentless Israeli bombardment. The enclave’s Health Ministry reported on Monday that at least 67 bodies and 320 wounded were brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours alone. Since October 2023, more than 64,522 Palestinians have been killed and 163,096 injured, with many victims still trapped under rubble.
Civilians bore the brunt of Monday’s strikes. Six people were killed while queuing for aid in Khan Younis, while drone and helicopter attacks claimed lives across Gaza City, including in al-Tuffah, Al-Rimal, Sheikh Radwan, and the courtyard of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. Entire families perished, among them five members on Al-Yarmouk Street.
Even so-called “safe zones” were not spared. Bombs struck tents in Khan Younis’s Al-Mawasi, killing three, including two siblings, while shelling at Nuseirat refugee camp left five dead and 22 injured.
Israeli forces also demolished major residential towers. Al-Salam Tower in central Gaza City and Al-Ruya Tower in the west were both flattened after brief evacuation warnings, displacing hundreds, including cancer patients sheltering in nearby camps. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that 50 residential buildings had been destroyed in just two days, vowing more demolitions as part of Israel’s displacement strategy.
The Israeli military has also deployed booby-trapped robots and quadcopters dropping explosives in the Sheikh Radwan district, fuelling panic among residents already hemmed in by widespread destruction.
The UN has warned that humanitarian operations are on the verge of collapse. Over 80% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders or militarised zones, with food, water, and shelter in critically short supply. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that even aid groups had been directly hit, killing at least one worker and a child in recent days.
Wider Regional Violence
Fighting also escalated in the West Bank. Israeli forces killed two Palestinian children in Jenin on Monday evening, bringing the town’s death toll to 47 since January. Hospital officials said four more residents were injured, two critically, as displaced families attempted to return home.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,020 Palestinians and wounded more than 7,000 across the West Bank, displacing nearly 22,000 people.
In Gaza, the Israeli military confirmed the deaths of four soldiers from the 401st Armoured Brigade during clashes in Gaza City, raising its total losses since October to 904.
The latest escalation follows Israel’s August approval of Netanyahu’s controversial blueprint to gradually reoccupy Gaza, beginning with Gaza City and involving the forced displacement of up to one million Palestinians to the south.
[Photo: Security footage captures the moment of an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, 2025. Photojournalist: Security Camera/AA]
