Category World News

An Israeli attack in Qatar’s capital, Doha, targeting Hamas officials has drawn swift condemnation from across the region and beyond with the UN chief calling it a “flagrant violation” of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli military carried out the attack in Doha on Tuesday against Hamas leaders. It was the first such attack by Israel on Qatar, which has been a key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and hosts the region’s largest United States military base, Al Udeid Air Base.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “in the strongest terms the cowardly Israeli attack”.

Here are reactions from regional and international leaders:

UN secretary-general

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the air raids a “flagrant violation” of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.

He added that all parties to the Gaza war must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire rather than destroying the prospects of one.

Saudi Arabia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saudi Arabia “condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar”, adding that it affirms “its full solidarity”.

It warned 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”.

Turkiye

Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s attack on Qatar, saying it shows Israel is not interested in an agreement to end the war on Gaza.

“The targeting of the Hamas negotiating delegation while ceasefire talks continue shows that Israel does not aim to reach peace, but rather continue the war,” the ministry said in a statement.

“This situation is clear proof that Israel has adopted its expansionist politics in the region and terrorism as a state policy.”

The United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates also voiced support for Doha, condemning the “treacherous Israeli attack”.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, said: “The security of the Arab Gulf states is indivisible, and we stand heart and soul with the sisterly State of Qatar, condemning the treacherous Israeli attack that targeted it, and affirming our full solidarity with it in confronting this aggression.”

Kuwait

Kuwait issued a statement through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemning what it described as “the brutal aggression against the State of Qatar by the unjust Israeli forces”.

Jordan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the Israeli bombing as a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter and called it a blatant attack on the sovereignty and security of Qatar.

Ministry spokesman Fuad Majali said the Israeli attack constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of an Arab state and is a dangerous and unacceptable provocative escalation that pushes the region towards further violence and conflict and threatens regional and international security and stability.

Iran

Iran described the attack as a “gross violation”, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the “extremely dangerous and criminal action is a gross violation of all international rules and regulations, a violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Iraq

Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also criticised the attack, calling it a “cowardly act” and expressing “full support” for Qatar to confront any aggression.

Palestinian response

Hussein al-Sheikh, vice president of the State of Palestine and vice chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Oraganization, said: “We strongly condemn the heinous Israeli attack targeting the sisterly State of Qatar.”

The director general of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, said: “The ‘Israeli’ occupation committed a cowardly assassination crime in the heart of the Qatari capital, Doha, the mediating state in negotiations between the Palestinian resistance and the occupation.”

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad armed group described the attack as a “blatant criminal act”.

Yemen’s Houthi group

Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, said Arab and Muslim countries must “pay attention” to Israel’s plans before it’s too late.

“We warn against a formula for the violations of all countries in the region,” al-Mashat said. “What happened in Doha will happen again and more in the rest of the countries if we do not all unite in confronting the Zionist threat.”

Maldives

The Maldives also described the attack as “cowardly and a serious violation of international law”.

“The Maldives stands in solidarity with the State of Qatar and calls on the international community to take urgent and unified action to hold Israel accountable for its numerous and continued violations of international norms and principles,” President Mohamed Muizzu posted on X.

United Kingdom

Downing Street said it was monitoring reports of the attack, warning against “a further escalation in violence” in the Middle East.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters denied the UK had any prior knowledge of the attack, saying it was “an Israeli-led operation” and “an entirely independent operation”.

France

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X that the attack against Qatar is “unacceptable, whatever the reason may be”.

He added: “I express my solidarity with Qatar and its emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani. War must under no circumstances spread in the region.”

Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the shelling in Doha “unlawful and heinous”, describing it as a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said Pakistan “stands firmly with Qatar, as well as with the Palestinian people, against Israeli aggression”.

Hamas in Tehran

Hamas’ representative in Tehran, Khaled al-Qaddoumi, said the assassination attempt on the group’s leaders during a meeting in Doha had failed.

He said Israel acted “with direct support from the United States” and accused Washington of paving the way for the attack under the guise of ceasefire talks.

Lebanon

The Lebanese government denounced “in the strongest terms” what it called a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.

It urged the international community to act against repeated Israeli aggression that “threaten security and stability in the entire region”.

Morocco

The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the kingdom “strongly condemns the blatant Israeli aggression” and denounces the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.

It expressed solidarity with Doha in the face of what it described as a dangerous escalation.

Syria

Damascus condemned the attacks in Doha as “a blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of the State of Qatar”.

Syria said the attack was a “dangerous escalation that undermines security and stability in the region”.

Sudan

Khartoum’s foreign ministry called the bombing “a clear violation of international laws and norms.” It voiced “full solidarity” with Qatar and urged the international community to take measures to halt such “brutal attacks”.

Egypt

Cairo condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation” of international law, saying it undermined mediation efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt said it viewed the attack as “a dangerous precedent and an escalation” against Qatar.

Gulf Cooperation Council

GCC Secretary-General Jassim al-Budaiwi called the attack a “despicable and cowardly operation” and vowed solidarity with Qatar.

He said the aggression violated “all international laws and treaties” and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable.

Algeria

Algeria denounced the “brutal Israeli aggression” in Doha and voiced “full and absolute solidarity” with Qatar.

It said the attack on the Hamas negotiating team proved Israel “is not inclined toward peace” and warned the region was being dragged into “an endless cycle of insecurity”.

Oman

Muscat’s foreign ministry condemned what it called the “brutal attack launched by Israel”. It expressed solidarity with Qatar and described the bombing as a breach of international law.

In Gaza, death seems easier than the endless suffering of displacement. Death ends pain; displacement only makes it worse, opening a wound that never heals.

In Gaza City, people face two bitter choices: stay and risk being killed or imprisoned, or flee southward to an impossible life in a camp. Displacement is not simply a relocation—it is a slow death. It is embarking on a journey not knowing whether there will be shelter, food, or water at the end. It means exhaustion, homelessness, and fear. Even reaching a shelter offers no real safety because death can still follow you there.

Since the start of the war, my family and I have been displaced 15 times. Each time has been harder than the one before. Every time, we have lost our possessions, our health, our sense of security.

It all started in October 2023. We fled our home in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, which was subsequently bombed in November, and sought shelter at the nearby Al-Bahrain School. We stayed there until mid-November. From there, we went to my uncle’s house in Tal al-Hawa and then to my aunt’s house in the Zeitoun area. We then went to another uncle’s house in Tal al-Hawa; when that area got too dangerous, we moved two streets away to another relative’s home. From there we moved to our neighbours’ home and then to a basement. When a missile landed near us without exploding, we fled again to Al-Bahrain School. From there, we moved to my cousin’s home in the Daraj area, but then it got dangerous, so we moved to the port area. We went back to my cousin’s house and then finally to my grandfather’s in Tal al-Hawa. The situation became dangerous again, so we went to the port for a while and then again back to my grandfather’s.

We stayed there for a while as the famine deepened. Starvation affected me deeply. Every time I saw food, it seemed to shrink in front of my eyes. I was afraid to eat a lot and would cry while eating because I was scared that one of us might die of hunger. I lost 10kg (22lbs) and became very weak. I was diagnosed with anaemia and vitamin deficiencies.

In July, we decided to sell the tent we had used during displacement for $140. We bought flour with the money.

When Israel declared it was going to attack Gaza City again, we fell into total despair. For my family – like many others – moving was impossible. We had no money for transport, no relatives in the south, and no tent.

Tents have now become scarce and outrageously expensive — one can cost as much as $1,000. Even if one has a tent, finding a place to pitch it is a challenge. Even what used to be bare land now goes for $30 per square metre (11 square feet) per month.

So we decided to stay as others fled south.

Then on September 7, our home was bombed. Our neighbours received a phone call from the Israelis that the mosque next to our building would be bombed; we were given seven minutes to evacuate the area.

I grabbed some clothes and a desk lamp – a gift from a dear friend – put them in a bag, and ran outside with my siblings. Seven minutes passed, and nothing happened. My father ran back into the building to pick up a few more things and came out. He then went back again with my siblings to take a few more things. He went back a third time to take out some food. We screamed in panic, “Why did he go back? Why did he go back?” I broke down, crying and shouting, “My father!”

Moments later, my father emerged, hugging the bag of flour. Yes, this is what a father is — the one who risks his life to secure bread for his family.

We thought we were all safe, but we weren’t. Instead of bombing the mosque, the Israelis hit my grandfather’s home. He was too close to the building and was martyred.

We are now once again homeless and grieving the loss of a loved one.

We were forced to go to my aunt’s house in an area that has also received evacuation orders and been threatened by the Israelis with bombing. We are staying there even though it is dangerous because we have nowhere to go.

Israel claims that the south is safe, but this is false. Every other day, we hear a story of Israeli drones bombarding the camps in al-Mawasi. Just a week ago, Israel bombed a tent belonging to a family just three hours after their arrival from northern Gaza; three members of the family were martyred.

We fear what Israel has planned for us. We have read the news reports about concentration camps being established in the south, resembling those set up by the Nazis. Rumours have spread that people’s names will be replaced with numbers; phones will be confiscated so there is no documentation; food will be rationed.

Displacement has stolen not only our homes and memories, but our very souls. Our faces are pale from hunger, grief, and fear.

I was once a merchant of hope, but now I beg for even a single word of it. I have endured starvation, thirst, missiles, and unbearable loss. I may not survive my 15th displacement.

António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has called Israel’s ‘targeted strike’ on Hamas officials in Doha a ‘flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.’

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford is near to the scene of where an Israeli strike targeted ‘Hamas leaders’ at a residential area in Doha. He says there is a great sense of anxiety across the city over the attack.

There were explosions near a residential area in Doha on Tuesday after the Israeli military said it carried out ‘targeted strikes’ on Hamas officials. Qatar has condemned the attack in the strongest terms.