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LAST UPDATE | 9 Sep
HAMAS HAS SAID that six people were killed in an Israeli strike on the Qatari capital of Doha, including the son of the group’s top negotiator’s son and a Qatari security officer.
Three bodyguards and Gaza ceasefire negotiator Khalil al-Hayya’s aide and son were all killed in the attack, the group said, affirming that its senior leaders had survived.
The White House said Trump did not agree with Israel’s decision to take military action on the US ally’s soil and had warned Qatar in advance of the incoming strikes.
But Qatar, which hosts a large US military base, said it had not received the warning from Washington until the attack was already underway.
The Israeli military struck Doha this afternoon in an operation that it said targeted “the senior leadership” of Hamas. Several explosions were heard in the city, with smoke seen rising over the Katara district.
Hamas leaders have used the Qatari capital as a headquarters outside of Gaza for years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the strike was “a wholly independent Israeli operation” that he ordered following the shooting of six people in Jerusalem on Monday which was claimed by Hamas.
Speaking at a US embassy function in Jerusalem today, he claimed that “much of the world” has “shamefully” forgotten about the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023.
“But I don’t forget, and Israel will never forget,” he said.
Qatar’s prime minister said it reserved the right to respond to the Israeli attack.
“We believe that today we have reached a pivotal moment,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a press conference. “There must be a response from the entire region to such barbaric actions.”
In a post on Truth Social this evening, Trump said the strike “was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me”.
“I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack,” he said, although he added that eliminating Hamas was still a “worthy goal.”
Trump was also at pains to point out that Washington was caught unawares by the Israeli attack. “I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack.”
The US president said he had spoken to Netanyahu in the aftermath, and tried to put a positive gloss on the affair, claiming that the Israeli leader told him that he “wants to make peace”.
Qatar earlier denied receiving advance warning of the strikes by the US.
“Statements circulating about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are false. The call received from an American official came as explosions sounded from the Israeli attack in Doha,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari posted on X.
The strike has been condemned by a number of international leaders.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that he was “deeply concerned” by the attack, and that it would make achieving a ceasefire in Gaza “even more difficult to secure”.
”This is a time for all with influence to use it to maximum effect to avoid escalation and to work to secure an immediate ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages,” Martin said.
He said that detailed diplomacy is what is needed at this time, not the “blunt military force we have seen today.”
The Irish Embassy in the UAE is advising Irish citizens to shelter in place, exercise caution, and monitor local and international media. It also is advising citizens to follow the advice of local authorities and observe any additional security measures imposed during this time.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Qatar has been playing “a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and release of all hostages”.
“I condemn this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” he said.
The families of the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas have said they were following the developments in Doha “with deep concern and heavy anxiety”.
“A grave fear now hangs over the price that the hostages may pay,” the forum said, adding that the price for the 48 hostages “could be unbearable”.
“The chance of bringing them back now faces greater uncertainty than ever before, with one thing of absolute certainty – their time is running out.”
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the strike a “criminal act” and “a flagrant violation of international laws and norms” in a call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has deemed the strikes “an escalation that threatens regional security and stability”.
Hamas and Israel have held multiple rounds of indirect ceasefire negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States since October 2023.
Despite two temporary truces, the talks have failed to bring a lasting end to the conflict.
On Sunday, Hamas said it was ready to “immediately sit at the negotiating table” following what it described as “some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement”.
Anthony Kearney, an advanced nurse practitioner at a women and children’s hospital in Doha, told RTÉ’s Liveline that he was outside his car when he heard multiple explosions this afternoon.
“I heard maybe eight to ten explosions, which sounded very similar to the strikes we heard here before,” Kearney said.
“Initially there were reports of a petrol station explosion, but then we heard about the planned attack. It was close to where we live in the embassy area of Doha.”
In a statement after the strike, Israeli military officials claimed that “precise munitions” were used to mitigate damage.
Earlier, Israel ordered all residents of Gaza City to evacuate immediately as it prepares to launch an expanded offensive in the territory’s largest urban centre.
Israel has been intensifying its bombardment of the city in preparation for an operation to conquer it, despite repeated appeals from Western nations and aid agencies to stop.
In messages broadcast online and in leaflets dropped over the city, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned civilians it would act with “great force” against Hamas and urged them to leave via the Al-Rashid coastal road towards the designated humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi.
The order follows warnings from Netanyahu that Israeli forces are preparing a ground offensive into Gaza City after weeks of stepped-up airstrikes.
Israel’s security cabinet last month approved a plan to take control of the city, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
The planned takeover of Gaza City has drawn widespread international condemnation.
Israel’s push to assume control of the Palestinian city risks worsening the already dire humanitarian crisis for 2.2 million Palestinians, many of whom are facing man-made famine.
Gazan health officials reported today that six more Palestinians died of starvation over the past 24 hours.
This brings the total number of deaths from starvation to 399 people, including 140 children.
The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says dozens of Palestinian families have been displaced as a result of Israel’s latest attacks on high-rise buildings in Gaza City.
Israel’s defence minister said 30 buildings have been levelled and threatened more destruction.
Irish agency ActionAid said that it is “gravely alarmed” by the planned reoccupation of Gaza City, as they said it will endanger the lives of countless civilians, particularly pregnant women already living in severe famine conditions.
“More than half of ActionAid’s local partners are based in Gaza City and remain determined to continue their lifesaving work for as long as conditions allow. Yet, with the offensive escalating, their ability to stay is rapidly diminishing,” Karol Balfe, CEO of ActionAid Ireland said.
One partner organisation is the Palestinian Development Women Studies Association (PDWSA), which supports women and girls who have survived violence and leads emergency responses.
Sahar, the head of PDWSA, said the organisation has made the decision to stay in the city, as it is “the only option available”.
“We have no other options. Gaza is our land, our home, our houses, our place. It is very difficult for us to imagine Gaza destroyed and gone,” Sahar said.
“Our presence is important to strengthen the steadfastness of the people, and for them to see us present among them.”
But staff are facing a harrowing reality.
PDWSA member Mohammad Al Madhon said that where he lives in Gaza City, it is subjected to “systematic destruction carried out by the occupying army as part of the ongoing war of extermination”.
“We tried to endure and remain in our homes, but as bombardment intensified, water was cut off, and food became nearly impossible to find, we were forced to search for another place to flee.”
He said that the “immense” population density in all other regions of Gaza and the absence of empty spaces prevented that.
“Therefore, alongside many other families, we decided to stay in Gaza City with no safe alternative.”
The bombardment of Gaza City is also endangering the lives of pregnant women ActionAid supports.
Nour, 33, who is seven months pregnant, said that displacement has caused her many problems during pregnancy.
“I have had to walk long distances with no transport, leaving me exhausted. The famine has left me severely malnourished, and my unborn baby has stopped growing due to lack of food,” Nour said.
Hanan, a mother of four, added: “I was pregnant while displaced and suffering from malnutrition. My pregnancy was very difficult, and my baby’s growth was very small, with weak blood pressure and severe infections.”
- With reporting by Jane Moore and © AFP 2025
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