Yesterday, Israel carried out an attempted strike on senior Hamas leaders in Qatar, the Middle Eastern country and key Western ally.
The unsuccessful strike hit a residential building in with video footage carried by media outlets and on the internet showing smoke rising above the Qatari capital Doha early on Tuesday afternoon, and a heavily-damaged section of a complex next to Woqod petrol station on Wadi Rawdan Street, close to the West Bay Lagoon district north of central Doha.
According to the Israeli military, it conducted a “precise strike” targeted at Hamas senior leaders it believes were involved in the 7th of October attack.
The decision by Israel to bomb Qatar, a neutral country that has played a key role in facilitating peace talks between Israel and Hamas, the most recent round being at the direct instigation of President Trump, was quickly denounced. A spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the attack, “in the strongest possible terms”.
Dr Majed Al Ansari says the strike hit a residential premises “where a number of members of Hamas’ political bureau reside in the Qatari capital, Doha”.
He said the attack constitutes a “blatant violation” of international laws as well as a “serious threat” to those in Qatar.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns this attack, and affirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour and the continuous tampering with the security of the region and any action aimed at its security and sovereignty”.
This was swiftly followed up by criticism from world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, who believed the attack was “unfortunate”, later telling reporter: “But I can tell you that I was very unhappy about it. Very unhappy about every aspect of it.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, said, “I condemn Israel’s strikes on Doha, which violate Qatar’s sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region.
“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.”
Saudi Arabia denounced what it described as the “brutal Israeli aggression”.
UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the strike was “unacceptable regardless of motive”, while UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
Whole Pope Leo XIV told journalists that “the entire situation is very serious”.
Joining the world leaders have been Members of Parliament who have added their voice to the criticism of Israel.
Senior Labour MP Sarah Champion commented: “I am utterly disgusted by the actions of Israel in carrying out an attack in a neutral country, seemingly without any notification.
“Qatar has taken an impressive and successful position as the world’s chief peace negotiator. That necessitates talking to all parties, regardless of if you agree with their actions or policies. For Israel to carry out this attack on their soil shows a flagrant disregard for the service Qatar is doing to try and negotiate peace in the Middle East.
“The prime minister is right to condemn this attack in the strongest terms. For me it is just another example of Israel and ignoring international law.”
Mother of the House, Diane Abbott MP said, “It is extraordinary that the Israeli government can launch an attack on yet another country in this way and expect to suffer no negative consequences. But their allies like the USA and Britain do not hold them to account, and continue to support and arm them.”
Veteran Labour MP Richard Burgon commented: “This attack was a blatant attempt to scupper peace negotiations.
“Israel is a rogue state – that shows total disregard for international law. Desperate pleading with Israel will not get it to change course.
“How many violations of international law will it take until the government imposes the tough sanctions needed to force Israel to do the right thing?”
Lib Dem MP, Edward Morello, a member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said: “Netanyahu’s decision to strike Qatar represents a dangerous escalation of his bloody conflict, and risks further instability in the region. Targeting the Hamas negotiation team only makes it even harder to achieve a lasting ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli hostages, which should be the priority of the Israeli Government. It is vital that the British Government use all its diplomatic influence to convince President Trump to get Netanyahu to step back.”
Conservative MP, Aphra Brandreth, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, commented: “Yesterday’s escalation in the Middle East is cause for grave concern. This is a serious moment and we must look to diplomacy as a means of de-escalation.
“Let me be clear. I have no sympathy for the monstrous individuals who lead Hamas. They are responsible for the death of over 1,200 Israeli civilians during the October 7th attacks. Israel is right to seek to remove bad actors across the Middle East, including the leadership of the Houthis, Hezbollah, and malign individuals in the Iranian regime. But they must work constructively with neighbouring countries who are working towards a peaceful Middle East.
“We all urgently want to see a lasting end to the conflict in Gaza, the release of all the hostages currently in Hamas captivity alongside urgently facilitating aid reaching the people of Gaza.
“Now is the time for the UK to step up and use our tradition of conflict resolution to full effect, to support peace efforts and convene allies and actors alongside the US to deliver on this.”
Independent MP, Shockat Adam added: “Israel’s actions yesterday demonstrate once again there is no international law they are not prepared to break to continue waging this war against the people of the Middle East. Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, Tunisian territorial waters and now Qatar. And yet this government still continues to call the State of Israel an ally and refuses to accept the evidence of their own eyes and acknowledge the genocide they are inflicting in Gaza. This Government needs to get tough with Israel, not invite its President for a cosy meeting at Number 10 Downing Street.”
Fellow independent MP, Ayoub Khan MP, echoed the comments saying: “An attack on Qatar’s sovereignty is despicable; especially given their crucial role in mediation efforts. It makes clear that the Israeli government has no genuine intention of ending its campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing!”
Green MP and their party spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Dr Ellie Chowns, said: “Targeting negotiators in Doha is reprehensible and strikes at the very mechanisms that offer a chance of ending this horror.
“Carrying out attacks on those engaged in talks – while the wider population of Gaza are starved and bombed – is self-evidently not the behaviour of a state seeking peace. It is the behaviour of a rogue state, operating completely outside international norms, which appears determined to pursue violence and undermine any possibility of a negotiated peace.
“The UK government must unequivocally condemn these strikes and urgently suspend all military cooperation with, and arms sales to, Israel.
“We are witnessing a pattern of total impunity where Israeli military objectives are pursued with devastating civilian cost. That cannot stand. The UK must press tirelessly for immediate de-escalation and a ceasefire, for safe and unfettered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and for independent investigations to hold perpetrators of war crimes and genocide to account.”
Labour MP, Uma Kumaran, another member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, commented: “This is yet another flagrant violation of another sovereign nation’s territory by Israel and a deeply worrying escalation in the region. Sadly, the reality is we shouldn’t be surprised – Netanyahu has demonstrated time and again that he is not interested in peace or any meaningful negotiations, or shamefully the return of the hostages. Instead he used every chance to escalate and further destabilise the region as he fights for his political future.
“There is still horror and destruction on the ground in Gaza, mass starvation and the slow annexation of the West Bank. The international community must keep up the pressure on Netanyahu who is isolating Isreal on a global stage.”
While Jeremy Corbyn concluded by saying: “They [Israel] bombed Doha because there were negotiations going on which may well have concluded with a ceasefire almost immediately.
“I also think that Israel’s desperate actions over the last few days, even over the last few hours, their reckless bombardment all over, they know they’ve lost all world support.
“They’ve lost all world respect.”
And Scottish First Minister, SNP John Swinney, commented: “The Israeli attack in Qatar is without any justification. It is a further escalation of Israeli actions and further damages the process for peace. Israel must be held to account for this action and this latest breach must bring an end to the horror in the Middle East.”
More to follow…