Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza carry their belongings along the coastal road toward southern Gaza, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders from Gaza City. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Israel launched a strike targeting Hamas’ leadership in Qatar's capital city on Tuesday, officials said, widening its campaign against the militant group. Surveillance footage aired by Al Jazeera shows the strike on buildings that housed Hamas’ political wing in Doha’s diplomatic quarter.

Hamas said in a statement that all of its leaders survived the attack but that five lower-ranked members were killed. Qatar said a member of its Internal Security Force died and others were wounded in the attack.

Qatar has served as a key negotiator in efforts to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip, and it was unclear if the attack would stall those efforts.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack Tuesday, saying “all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”

Here's the latest:

Military officials received very vague warning from Israelis, official says

The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss sensitive matters, said the notification included the fact that the Israeli military was going to attack Hamas but did not include specifics like a location, which made it insufficient to allow for any timely follow-on warnings to countries in the region.

White House press secretary Karoline Levitt told reporters earlier Tuesday that the military notified the White House of the impending attack.

President Donald Trump, in a social media post Tuesday, also said that while he “immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did,” it was “unfortunately too late to stop the attack.”

A spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry said in a social media post that the warning “came during the sound of explosions resulting from the Israeli attack in Doha.”

— By Konstantin Toropin

Leaders in the US Congress had no advance notice of Israel’s attack, and lawmakers’ views of the strike are mixed

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a defense hawk allied with Trump, supported the action.

“I’m tired of negotiating with Hamas,” Graham said. “Ultimatum. Lay down your weapons, or Israel is going to take Gaza City by force.”

But Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who flew Army helicopter missions, said Israel’s attack is “undermining” efforts to resolve the war.

“They’re going after the people that were actually reviewing the deal to release the hostages on day one,” said Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat. “I support Israel, but this is not helping the situation.”

Qatar’s PM lashes out at Netanyahu and questions the future of Gaza ceasefire talks

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called the Israeli strike on Doha an act of “state terror.”

He called out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name, saying “these barbaric actions only reflect the barbarism of this person, who is dragging the region to a place where it unfortunately cannot be repaired.”

He said Qatar would “spare no effort” to stop the war in the Gaza Strip. But he added that “concerning the current talks, I don’t think there is anything valid now after we see an attack like that.”

He also denied the U.S. had given adequate warning, saying Qatar was only informed about the attack 10 minutes after it began.

Houthis claim they fired ballistic missiles at Israel

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed in a prerecorded message Tuesday that multi-warhead ballistic missiles targeted “several sensitive targets around occupied Jerusalem.”

Saree said the group also sent three drones targeting Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport in southern Israel.

The Houthis hit the airport in a drone attack a few days earlier, briefly shutting the airspace. Israeli authorities said one person was wounded in that attack.

Turkey warns that the attack on Doha undermines the peace effort in Gaza

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, describing them as “evidence of Israel’s expansionist policies and its adoption of terrorism of state strategy.”

The ministry’s statement expressed Turkey’s solidarity with Qatar and renewed a call on the international community to exert pressure to halt Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories and the wider region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned the attack as a violation of international law and Qatar’s sovereignty.

“Those who turn terrorism into a state policy will never achieve their goals,” Erdogan said in a social media post. The Turkish leader also reaffirmed Ankara’s support to Palestinians and to its ally, Qatar.

Egypt calls attack on Doha ‘an unacceptable development’

The Egyptian presidency said in a statement that the attack “targeted a meeting of Palestinian leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, to discuss ways to reach a ceasefire agreement” in Gaza.

“This attack sets a serious precedent and an unacceptable development, and constitutes a direct assault on the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar, which plays a pivotal role in mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” it said.

Foreign minister Badr Abdelatty said Israel should be held accountable for its “criminal aggression.”

“This arrogance will not achieve security and stability for Israel. Rather it proves completely to the entire world that the State of Israel has no will and no desire to reach a political solution or a ceasefire,” he said during a news conference.

Egypt has been a key mediator between Israel and Hamas.

EU says Israel broke international law in strike against Qatar

The European Union said the attack on Doha Tuesday might lead to more conflict in the Middle East in one of the strongest statements to date on from the 27-nation bloc.

“Today’s airstrike by Israel against Hamas leaders in Doha breaches international law and Qatar’s territorial integrity, and risks a further escalation of violence in the region,” said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission, in a statement posted online by the EU’s diplomatic corps.

“Any escalation of the war in Gaza must be avoided — it is in no one’s interest. We will continue to support all efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.

The EU has been riven by deep disagreements over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Mass protests have rocked European cities from Amsterdam to Barcelona calling for a ceasefire.

Qatar calls Israeli attack a ‘blatant violation of international law’ in letter to the UN Security Council

Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, the Qatari ambassador to the U.N., wrote that an investigation into the attack is underway and that the state “is taking necessary measures to contain its repercussions.”

“While the State of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty,” she wrote in the letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The ambassador did not request for the 15-member council to hold an emergency meeting as is often done after major escalations.

Iranian foreign minister calls Israeli attack on Doha a ‘cowardly crime’

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack “in the strongest terms.”

He urged the United Nations and the international community to stop Israel and save the world from these “unprecedented threats by the Israeli regime on the peace and security of the region.”

He was speaking at a news conference Tuesday after signing an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Cairo. The agreement paves the way for cooperation, including resuming inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Germany says Israel’s strike on Doha was ‘unacceptable’

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in a statement that he’s very concerned about the safety of the hostages still held by Hamas.

Germany is a staunch ally of Israel, though in recent months it has become increasingly critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“Israel’s attack in Doha not only violates the territorial sovereignty of Qatar, but also endangers all our efforts for the release of the hostages,” Wadephul said.

“This strike is unacceptable,” he said.

He said he has voiced his concern about the lives and safety of hostages held by Hamas, including German citizens, in a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

Wadephul said he spoke to his Qatari counterpart and expressed his “solidarity” and recognition of efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.

Morocco denounces Israeli violation of Qatar’s sovereignty

“Morocco reiterates its full solidarity with Qatar against anything liable to jeopardize its security, its territorial integrity and the peace of its citizens and residents,” Morocco’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Morocco, which maintains ties with Qatar and Israel, was the fourth Arab country to normalize relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in late 2020, in exchange for U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara.

Morocco’s group of action for Palestine, a coalition of activists, announced an urgent protest Tuesday in front of the parliament to denounce the attack in Doha.

Sudan and Libya condemn the Israeli attack

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah denounced what he labeled Israel’s “cowardly aggression” that violates international law and underscores the “largest genocide” against the people in the Gaza Strip.

“Every day, the importance of Arab and Islamic countries uniting to confront this aggression in all its forms becomes clearer, as well as the need to call on the international community to bear its responsibilities in immediately stopping these violations,” he said in a post on X.

Sudan called the attack “a blatant violation of Qatar’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty” and that it “undermines ongoing efforts to achieve security and stability in the region.”

Britain’s leader criticizes Israeli attack on Doha

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s condemnation of Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar came a day before he is set to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the U.K.

“I condemn Israel’s strikes on Doha, which violate Qatar’s sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region,” he said. “The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza. This is the only solution towards long-lasting peace.”

Downing Street confirmed that Starmer’s meeting with Herzog will go ahead Wednesday.

“The Prime Minister will be meeting the Israeli president, where he’ll raise the intolerable situation in Gaza, the action Israel must take to end the horrific suffering we’re witnessing. It cannot go on any longer,” a spokesman said.

White House describes Israeli attack as an ‘unfortunate incident’ and says it warned Qatar in advance

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the U.S. received prior notice about the pending attack from Israel.

In response, diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff passed along a warning to the Qataris.

President Donald Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the attack, Leavitt said, and “made his thoughts and concerns very clear.”

She said Trump believes the attack was an “unfortunate incident” that didn’t advance peace in the region.

Hamas says top leaders survived Israeli strike on Qatar and five lower-ranking members died

The son of Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leader and top negotiator, was killed along with the head of al-Hayya’s office, Suheil al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told Al-Jazeera.

Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof they had survived.

A member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force was also killed and others were wounded, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said.

Pakistan condemns Israeli ‘aggression’

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack targeting Hamas leadership as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.

The ministry said in a statement that Pakistan is in “complete solidarity” with Qatar and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable.

It called the attack “provocative and reckless” and said it shows Israel’s “continued disregard for international peace and security.”

Pakistan reaffirmed its support for Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, vowing to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the Gulf nation’s leadership and people.

Air raid sirens are heard in Jerusalem

The Israeli military says a missile was launched from Yemen and that the army intercepted it.

Sirens sounded across the country.

Houthi militants in Yemen have fired scores of missiles and drones at Israel throughout the war.

Prime minister says Israel acted alone in Doha attack

Benjamin Netanyahu told a U.S. Embassy party that Israel acted “wholly independently” and takes “full responsibility.”

“This action can open the door to an end of the war,” he said, adding that President Donald Trump’s latest ceasefire proposal could end the war immediately.

Qatar says one of its security personnel was killed in the attack targeting Hamas leaders in Doha

Qatar’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that a member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force was killed.

Other security personnel were hurt, it added.

It did not offer any details about the status of Hamas officials at the site.

US Embassy in Qatar orders a brief shelter-in-place

After the Israeli attack, the embassy sent an alert telling its staff and all U.S. citizens in the country to shelter-in-place.

It lifted all restrictions hours later, but advised all American staff and visitors in Doha to “remain vigilant.”

The US had some forewarning that Israel intended to carry out the strike on Hamas in Qatar

Israel alerted the U.S. ahead of time, according to an Israeli official, a White House official and another person familiar with the matter. The White House official would not say if Washington provided Israel with approval for carrying out the strike, but another U.S. official said the American military did not participate.

All four officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Pentagon officials referred questions about coordination to the White House. And the White House officials did not respond to request for comment.

It was not clear how much warning was provided or whether the U.S. expressed approval for the strike.

Congressional leaders appeared caught off guard by Israel’s strike.

“I’m not sure about that development,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said when asked about the situation at his weekly press conference Tuesday. “We’ll have to reserve judgement.”

Senate leaders Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican John Thune made no mention of the strikes in their opening remarks as the chamber convened.

It was unclear if they had been briefed ahead of the action.

— By Aamer Madhani, Konstantin Toropin and Joseph Krauss

UN General Assembly’s new president calls for ‘maximum restraint’ after Israeli strike in Qatar

Annalena Baerbock called Israel’s attack in Qatar an escalation of the conflict in Gaza and “obviously concerning.”

Baerbock, a former German foreign minister, stressed that all 193 U.N. member nations are required by the U.N. Charter to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country.

She called for intensified diplomatic efforts toward an immediate and permanent ceasefire, improved humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza by the Israeli government, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.

Baerbock spoke shortly after taking the oath of office to become president of the 80th session of the General Assembly, which ends in September 2026.

US forces not involved in Doha strike

The U.S. military did not participate in the Israeli strikes that took place in Doha, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon has directed questions to the White House, where officials didn’t immediately respond.

Syria says the attack on Doha reflects Israel’s lack of respect for international law

Syria’s Foreign Ministry warned in a statement that the Israeli strikes targeting Hamas leadership represented “a dangerous escalation that would undermine security and stability in the region.”

The ministry called the attack “a blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar.”

Qatar has been a strong supporter of the interim government in Syria since former Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning rebel offensive in December.

Israel has been suspicious of Syria’s new Islamist-led authorities, and Israeli forces have seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military sites since Assad’s fall.

The pope calls Israeli attack on Hamas leadership in Qatar ‘really serious’

“We have to pray a lot and continue to work and try to insist” on an end to the hostilities, Pope Leo XIV told Italy’s RAI television.

“The whole situation is really serious,” Leo said.

Leo and the Vatican’s top diplomats met Israeli President Isaac Herzog last week, when he called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and entry of humanitarian aid to famine-stricken Palestinians there.

The Vatican told Herzog a two-state solution was the “only way out of the war,” according to a Vatican statement at the time.

The first American pope also said Tuesday that he tried without success to contact the parish priest at the Catholic church in Gaza. The priest decided against evacuating, choosing instead to remain with Palestinians sheltering in the church.

Lebanon calls Israeli attack on Doha an attempt to further destabilize the Middle East

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli strikes were “part of a series of attacks committed by Israel, demonstrating its insistence on undermining all efforts made to achieve stability and security in the countries of the region and the safety of its people.”

Since a ceasefire nominally put an end to the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in November, Israel has continued to launch near-daily strikes in Lebanon.

Aoun urged “the international community to put an end to these Israeli practices that continue to violate all international laws and agreements and obstruct every commendable effort made by the State of Qatar to establish peace in the region and put an end to the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people.”

The UK says it had no advance knowledge of Israel’s strike on Doha

When asked if the British government had been told, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman Dave Pares, pointed to a statement by Israel’s prime minister saying the attack was a solely an Israeli operation.

Pares called Hamas “a vile terrorist organization,” but did not directly criticize the Israeli attack.

“We do not want to see a further escalation in violence which risks further destabilization in the region. Our overarching priority is to see an end to the horrific suffering in Gaza,” he said.

Starmer is scheduled to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. Pares said the British leader would use the meeting to “raise the intolerable situation in Gaza and the action Israel must take to end the horrific suffering.”

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince expresses solidarity with Qatar

In a phone call with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described Israel’s attack on Doha as a “criminal act and a flagrant violation of international law.”

He offered Saudi Arabia’s “full solidarity” with Qatar.

The Houthis in Yemen blames Israel and the US for the Doha attack

Mohammed al-frah a member of the Houthis’ political office, posted his condemnation of the attack on X, saying Israel and the United States are fully responsible.

“This cowardly operation was nothing but a deliberate assassination attempt against the negotiating delegation, a despicable effort to eliminate any prospect for peace, and an execution of any diplomatic hope in the region,” he said.

Iraq condemns Israel’s attack that targeted Hamas’ headquarters in Doha

Iraq’s foreign ministry said in a statement that this “cowardly act represents a flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and poses a threat to its security and stability.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates Iraq’s firm position in standing with the government and people of the sisterly State of Qatar, and fully supporting it in confronting any attacks that undermine its sovereignty or threaten its national security,” the statement read.

The Israeli ambassador to the UN applauds the ‘courageous’ attack in Doha

Danny Danon defended his country’s strike Tuesday on Hamas’ headquarters in Doha, saying “there is no hiding place for terrorists.”

“The precise strike in Doha targeted senior Hamas leaders who planned the October 7 massacre and celebrated while our citizens were abducted,” Danon posted on X. “I commend our security forces for this courageous and precise operation.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemns the Israeli attack in Doha

“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 the release of all hostages,” Guterres told reporters at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

“I condemn this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” he said, adding “all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”

Spain bars two Israeli ministers from entry over the war in Gaza

Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Tuesday that his government is prohibiting the entry of Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, its finance minister.

In a televised address Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called Israel’s attacks in Gaza an “extermination of a defenseless people.”

Israel banned the entrance of two of Spain’s ministers in response to that speech.

Sánchez also announced he was formalizing an arms embargo on Israel and prohibiting ships carrying fuel for Israel’s armed forces from using Spanish ports.

The Arab League condemns the Israeli attack on Doha

In a statement, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abou Gheit said the attack violated Qatar’s sovereignty.

He said Israel “does not care about the consequences of its shameful actions.”

News from © The Associated Press, 2025