by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
DOHA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Qatar will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Sunday and Monday in response to Israel’s unprecedented airstrike on its capital city that targeted Hamas leaders, Qatari state media confirmed Thursday.
The strike, carried out Tuesday by Israeli fighter jets, hit Hamas’s political offices in Doha, where senior leaders — including Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya — were reportedly discussing a U.S.-backed hostage-and-ceasefire proposal. Hamas insists none of its top leadership was killed, though Qatar said at least six people died, including al-Hayya’s son, three bodyguards, and a senior aide.
Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, blasted the strike as “cowardly” and “barbaric,” vowing legal and diplomatic measures against Israel. He warned that the attack “killed any hope” for a hostage deal and that Doha is “reassessing everything” about its mediation role in efforts to end the nearly two-year war in Gaza.
Funerals for those killed were held Thursday in Doha at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, followed by burials in Mesaimeer Cemetery.
Regional and International Fallout
The attack marked the first publicly known Israeli strike on Qatari soil, igniting fury across the region. Leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia quickly traveled to Doha in a show of solidarity.
Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported that two senior Hamas officials were wounded, one critically, and are being treated in a private hospital under heavy security.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly scolded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a heated phone call, warning him not to strike Qatar again. According to the Wall Street Journal and Axios, Trump was “furious” at not being notified in advance and demanded that Israel avoid further operations in Qatar, a key U.S. ally that hosts Washington’s largest military base in the Middle East.
“It’s unacceptable. I demand that you do not repeat it,” Trump was quoted as telling Netanyahu.
Although shaken, U.S.-Qatar relations appear intact. Doha rejected reports it was reconsidering its security partnership with Washington, calling the claims “categorically false.” Qatar’s International Media Office stressed that its defense ties with the U.S. are “stronger than ever.”
Netanyahu Defiant
Despite Trump’s warnings, Netanyahu doubled down, accusing Qatar of financing Hamas and sheltering its leaders in luxury. He demanded that Doha expel Hamas officials or “bring them to justice,” warning that otherwise, “we will.”
Qatar hit back, calling Netanyahu’s remarks “Islamophobic” and “reckless.” Doha’s foreign ministry said Hamas’s presence in Qatar was part of mediation efforts carried out with U.S. and Israeli knowledge since 2012.
“Netanyahu’s insinuation that Qatar secretly harbored the Hamas delegation is a desperate attempt to justify a crime condemned by the entire world,” the ministry said.
Egypt and Regional Diplomacy
As Qatar reevaluates its role, Egyptian officials said Cairo would continue mediating but warned that “business as usual” with Israel was no longer possible. Egyptian security cooperation with Israel will continue, but meetings with Israeli officials will be limited.
A separate report in Lebanese media claimed Israel had also considered striking Hamas offices in Turkey but chose Doha instead, believing the Trump administration could manage fallout with Qatar more easily than with NATO-member Turkey.
Former Israeli Envoy Criticizes Qatar Policy
Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said Israel’s National Security Council previously ordered him not to criticize Qatar due to its mediation role. He called that policy “a mistake” and said Israel should have delegitimized Qatar immediately after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks.
Erdan defended the Doha strike, saying it should have happened sooner and accompanied by a global campaign to isolate Qatar.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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