Israel Sparks International Condemnation After Strike On Qatar 

Israel drew fierce regional and international condemnation Wednesday, a day after it launched a strike on Qatar’s capital aimed at killing top Hamas officials, with world leaders warning that the attack could derail the already fragile ceasefire talks and further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, NBC News reported. 

On Tuesday, Israel launched an airstrike on a Doha villa where Hamas officials were discussing a US-backed ceasefire proposal. Israeli officials said the attack targeted senior Hamas leadership, including Khalil al-Hayya, who was leading indirect ceasefire talks with Israel. 

The Iran-backed group later released a statement claiming six people died in the attack, but al-Hayya survived. The casualties included al-Hayya’s son and the director of his office, and an officer of Qatar’s Internal Security forces. 

The airstrike prompted sharp reaction from Qatari officials, who branded it as “a blatant violation of all international laws and norms,” and “the activity of a rogue state.”  

The United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan flew to Doha on Wednesday in an apparent show of solidarity, with Jordan’s crown prince and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also expected. 

Criticism also came from Israel’s western allies, with the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warning that it violated Qatar’s sovereignty and risked “further escalation across the region.” 

Tuesday’s strike provoked rare anger from the United States and also President Donald Trump, who had unveiled a new ceasefire proposal last week and was waiting for Hamas’ response, Axios added. 

Trump said he was “very unhappy” about the operation. He later phoned Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to assure him such strikes would not be repeated. 

Observers and officials fear that the strike could further diminish prospects for a renewed ceasefire between Hamas and Israel as the war in Gaza inches toward its two-year mark in October. 

Shortly after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strike as a necessary step against those responsible for planning the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 others kidnapped. 

On Wednesday, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that “the long arm of Israel will strike its enemies everywhere” and warned Hamas that Gaza would be “leveled” unless it accepted Israel’s terms – the release of the remaining hostages and the group’s disarmament. 

Even so, Israeli Army Radio reported dissent within the security establishment, with senior officials objecting to the Doha operation as Hamas’s leadership was meeting about a truce, according to the Washington Post. 

Meanwhile, in Gaza, the Israeli military pressed forward this week with a sweeping evacuation order for all of Gaza City, distributing leaflets that directed civilians to an already overcrowded “humanitarian zone” further south.  

Israel’s response in Gaza has created a drastic humanitarian crisis that has seen tens of thousands displaced, produced a famine, and killed at least 64,000 people, according to Gazan health officials. 

Amid growing international outrage, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this week that the European Union will suspend its “bilateral support” – millions of euros worth of payments it transfers to Israel to support various projects – and partially suspend trade agreements.  

Von der Leyen cited the “man-made famine” in Gaza and “a clear attempt” by Israel to “undermine the two-state solution” for the EU’s action, Euronews noted. 

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the decision “regrettable” and accused her of echoing “false propaganda.”