Smoke was rising over Doha on September 9th as a result of an Israeli missile strike that shook the capital of Qatar. It was an operation that could forever change relations in the Middle East.
Tension filled the room.
The Prime Minister of Qatar sat opposite Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil Al-Hayya, under the maroon-and-white flag of the Gulf state, on Monday evening. The two had already met many times before, but often without results.
This time was different.
The United States (U.S.) had just presented a new ceasefire proposal that could end the nearly two-year war in Gaza. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani exerted strong pressure on Al-Hayya to accept the proposal.
The conversation ended shortly before 9:30 p.m., according to a source familiar with the meeting. But the real work was just beginning. After Al-Hayya left, Qatari negotiators immediately contacted their Israeli counterparts to inform them of the progress.
Unlike most of the previous initiatives coming from Qatar and Egypt, this plan came directly from Donald Trump’s administration. Qatari negotiators had met the previous week in Paris with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump was impatient to see movement.
On Sunday, Trump issued Hamas what he called a “final warning” to accept the agreement. He claimed that Israel had already accepted the proposal – although Israeli officials only said they were “seriously considering it.”
Israel had other plans.
Before the deadline for a response expired, Israeli missiles struck a residential building in Doha, which Israeli intelligence believed was hosting senior Hamas leaders.
The media spoke with more than a dozen officials from Israel, Qatar, and the U.S. to reconstruct the events. In one night, U.S. credibility in the region was called into question. Qatar was furious, the U.S. surprised, and Israel – without a trace of regret.
Months of preparations for a bold and dangerous operation
For more than two months, Israel had been planning a military operation that would mark a precedent – an attack on Hamas leaders in the heart of Doha. Qatar was a key location for negotiations on the release of hostages and ending the war, and often a destination for Israeli officials.
After the October 7th, 2023, attack, Israel made it clear that it would target Hamas leadership in Gaza and abroad. However, previous strikes had taken place in states hostile to them: in Iran (where Ismail Haniyeh was killed) and in Lebanon (the killing of Saleh al-Arouri).
An attack on Qatar would be a strike on a sovereign state that plays a key role in mediation, but also hosts a large U.S. military base – Al-Udeid. Still, Qatar was also home to senior Hamas leaders, including Al-Hayya, who had lived in Doha for years.
Israel decided – it was worth the risk.
Despite the increasingly close relations between Qatar and the U.S. – including the status of “major non-NATO ally” granted in 2022 – the Israeli government concluded that the strike was justified. In recent weeks, the operation had been accelerated.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continued their offensive in Gaza, while the air force prepared Israel’s first strike on a Gulf Arab state.
The key question was – when?
Senior military officials, including IDF Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir and Mossad chief David Barnea, questioned the timing of the strike. But their opinion was increasingly ignored, as Netanyahu began yielding to pressure from his far-right coalition partners.
Netanyahu had already once replaced Barnea in the negotiations with Hamas, handing them over to his confidant Ron Dermer. Now, for the second time, he ignored the objections of his security leaders.
Timing, coordination, and delayed warning to the U.S.
The operation received preliminary approval on Monday. Shin Bet had intelligence that senior Hamas officials were meeting in Doha to discuss precisely the proposal the U.S. had put forward.
The main target: Khalil Al-Hayya.
The strike was postponed for one day to confirm the identity of those present. Final approval came a few hours before the strike itself.
On Tuesday afternoon, more than ten Israeli fighter jets took off toward the target. Israel did not publicly state which aircraft or weapons it used, but it is assumed they were F-35I, F-15, and F-16 – the same ones used in clashes with Iran.
But now U.S. radars were in the area of operations.
Since the U.S. operates the Al-Udeid base, any unidentified aircraft would be treated as a potential threat. Qatar also has advanced radar and a Patriot missile defense system.
Israel had to notify the U.S. – but not too early.
An early warning would have meant that the U.S. could inform Qatar, and Qatar could warn Hamas. So Israel decided to announce it at the last moment.
The strike at 3:46 p.m. – too late for any reaction
More than ten missiles struck a residential complex in central Doha. Israel said it was a “precise target.”
The U.S. was notified literally a few minutes before the strike – and not directly. General Dan Caine informed Trump, who then contacted envoy Witkoff, and he informed Qatar. By the time the Qataris got the call, the explosion had already echoed.
Israel takes responsibility, but problems pile up
Netanyahu quickly took full responsibility for the strike, trying to distance the U.S. “This was a completely independent Israeli operation,” he said – at the request of the U.S.
Qatar was furious. Prime Minister Al-Thani called the strike “state terrorism.” In an interview, he said:
“Netanyahu is systematically destroying all chances for stability, peace, and the return of his hostages.”
Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction: “I am very dissatisfied with every aspect of this strike.”
The White House criticized the attack, but did not directly condemn the targeting of Hamas leaders.
And what was achieved?
Hamas announced that same evening that Al-Hayya and the rest of the delegation had not been killed. Instead, five lower-ranking Hamas members and one Qatari security officer were killed.
By Wednesday morning, doubts about the success of the operation began to emerge in Israel. Within hours, those doubts grew into pessimism.
The strike was not as precise as claimed.
Jeremy Diamond, Kristen Holmes, and Kevin Liptak contributed to the preparation of this media report, N1 writes.
