Funeral Procession
Qatar held a state funeral for the six victims of Israel’s unprecedented strike on Doha, with one coffin draped in the Qatari flag and five in Palestinian flags, symbolizing the solidarity between the Gulf nation and the Palestinian cause. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stood among mourners at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque, including senior Hamas officials like Osama Hamdan and Izzat al-Rishq, while tight security cordoned off the area. The funeral honored Lance Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari, a Qatari security officer, and five Hamas members: Humam al-Hayya (son of chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya), Jihad Labad (al-Hayya’s office director), and bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk, Abdallah Abdelwahd, and Mumen Hassoun. Hamas confirmed that al-Hayya’s wife, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren were wounded in the attack, underscoring the strike’s indiscriminate nature.
U.S. Complicity
Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum accused the United States of being a "full accomplice" in Israel’s operation, labeling it an "assassination of the entire negotiation process" designed to sabotage ceasefire talks. Barhoum emphasized that the strike targeted Hamas’s negotiating delegation precisely as they deliberated on a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal delivered by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani just hours earlier. Despite White House claims that President Donald Trump was unaware of the operation and attempted a last-minute warning to Qatar, Hamas and Qatari officials noted the U.S. provided notification only after the missiles struck, rendering the gesture meaningless. Qatar’s prime minister condemned the attack as "state terrorism" and warned it "killed any hope" for the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The Regional Response
The attack triggered a regional crisis, with Arab leaders descending on Doha to express solidarity. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned Israel’s violation of Qatari sovereignty, while Egypt conveyed a message of support through Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. The UAE explicitly stated that "any aggression against a GCC member state constitutes an attack on the collective Gulf security framework," signaling potential unified retaliation. Qatar announced an emergency Arab-Islamic summit for September 14–15 to coordinate a response, with options including diplomatic isolation of Israel or economic measures. The UN Security Council unanimously condemned the strikes but avoided naming Israel in its statement, instead emphasizing "de-escalation" and "sovereignty", a move critics called diplomatically cowardly.
Failed Assassination and Israeli Doubts
Despite Israel’s initial claims of a "precise strike" targeting Hamas’s leadership, the operation failed to eliminate key figures like Khalil al-Hayya, who remained unseen but reportedly survived. Israeli media expressed growing pessimism about the mission’s success, with officials admitting Hamas leaders might have been in a different part of the building. Qatari authorities continued searching for two missing persons and identifying human remains, suggesting higher casualties than initially reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to further target nations "harboring terrorists" drew sharp rebukes from Qatar and the UAE, who warned such rhetoric "pushes the region toward extremely dangerous trajectories".
Ceasefire Talks Collapse
The strike effectively collapsed ongoing negotiations for a 60-day ceasefire, which included Hamas’s agreement to release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for 1,700 Palestinian prisoners and Israeli troop withdrawals. Qatar’s prime minister stated the country was "reassessing everything" about its mediation role, including the future of Hamas’s political office in Doha, a critical channel for diplomatic engagement since 2012. With talks halted, the fate of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents hangs in the balance: 64,656 Palestinians have been killed, 393 have died from starvation, and 90% of homes are destroyed. The UN warns that Israel’s blockade continues to restrict aid to "far below" levels needed to avert famine.
Previous Israeli Assassinations
This attack follows Israel’s pattern of extraterritorial targeted killings, including the assassination of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024 via a covertly planted bomb, and the killings of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza and Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. Each operation intensified regional tensions and failed to achieve strategic objectives, instead strengthening resistance narratives. Hamas reiterated that such attacks "will not dent our resolve" and reaffirmed its demands: a full ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, and reconstruction.