The White House has said Israel's strike on Qatar targeting Hamas leadership is an "unfortunate incident", as other world leaders condemn the attack on a country that has been a crucial mediator in attempts to end the conflict in Gaza.
Hours after the strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel accepted a new US ceasefire proposal and claimed the attack could bring the end of the war closer.
"The days when the heads of terror enjoyed immunity anywhere are over," Netanyahu said in Hebrew at a US embassy event in Jerusalem.
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"I will not allow such immunity for the murderers of our people."
An Israeli security official said the operation "could potentially generate a shift" that could bring an end to the war in Gaza, though it's unclear how targeting the chief Hamas negotiator would lead to such a change.
Israel carried out the attack targeting Hamas leadership in Qatar on Tuesday (overnight AEST), in an unprecedented strike that threatened to derail renewed peace efforts and further inflame tensions in the region.
Surveillance footage aired by Al Jazeera shows the strike on buildings that housed Hamas' political wing in Doha's diplomatic quarter.
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A senior Israeli official told CNN that among those targeted was Hamas' chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya.
"We are awaiting the results of the strike," the official said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the US received prior notice about the pending attack from Israel.
In response, diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff passed along a warning to the Qataris.
President Donald Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the attack, Leavitt said, and "made his thoughts and concerns very clear."
She said Trump believes the attack was an "unfortunate incident" that didn't advance peace in the region.
Hamas said in a statement that all of its leaders survived the attack but that five lower-ranked members were killed.
The son of Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leader and top negotiator, was killed along with the head of al-Hayya's office, Suheil al-Hindi, a member of Hamas' political bureau, told Al-Jazeera.
Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof they had survived.
A member of Qatar's Internal Security Force was also killed and others were wounded, Qatar's Interior Ministry said.
Qatar's Interior Ministry said one of its security personnel was killed in the attack.
The ministry issued a statement saying a member of Qatar's Internal Security Force was killed.
Other security personnel were hurt, it added.
It did not offer any details about the status of Hamas officials at the site.
The Qatari foreign ministry's spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, said "the cowardly Israeli attack" targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Hamas political bureau in Doha.
"While strongly condemning this attack, the State of Qatar emphasizes that it will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior," Al Ansari said on X.
Qatar has been a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, maintaining direct channels with the US, Israel and Hamas.
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It has also hosted multiple rounds of negotiations, and senior Israeli officials – including the head of the Mossad spy agency and top Israeli negotiators – have visited Doha. Whether such visits will continue remains uncertain.
Einav Zangauker, the mother of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza, said Tuesday's strike could serve as a death sentence for her son.
"I am trembling with fear. It could be that at this very moment, the prime minister has essentially executed my Matan, sentenced him to death," Zangauker wrote on X. "Why is he insisting on blowing up every chance for a deal?"
Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, condemned the attack, saying "Qatar has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and release of all hostages," according to a UN spokesperson.
A senior Hamas official confirmed to CNN that the group's negotiators were targeted in Doha, but the group has yet to make an official statement about it.
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'Israel takes full responsibility'
The Israeli source who spoke to CNN said the United States was informed ahead of the strike.
It was not clear how much warning was provided or whether the US expressed approval for the strike.
Two US officials confirmed to CNN that the Trump administration had been notified.
Congressional leaders appeared caught off guard by Israel's strike.
"I'm not sure about that development," House Speaker Mike Johnson said when asked about the situation at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. "We'll have to reserve judgement."
Senate leaders Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican John Thune made no mention of the strikes in their opening remarks as the chamber convened.
It was unclear if they had been briefed ahead of the action.
CNN has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.
In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said, "Today's action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility."
The short missive appeared designed to distance the US from the Israeli attack on a critical American ally in the Middle East.
Two Israeli sources said the attack, which the IDF called "Summit of Fire," had been planned about two or three months ago but was accelerated in recent weeks.
Qatar is one of the US' closest allies in the Middle East and home to the Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest American military facility in the region.
A key security partner of Washington, it was designated a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2022.
Al Udeid came under Iranian attack this year after the US struck nuclear facilities in Iran during Israel's June campaign.
Following Tuesday's strike, the US embassy in Qatar instituted a shelter-in-place order for its facilities in the country, it said in a post on X.
"We have seen reports of missile strikes occurring in Doha. The US Embassy has instituted a shelter-in-place order for their facilities. US citizens are advised to shelter-in-place," it said.
It lifted all restrictions hours later, but advised all American staff and visitors in Doha to "remain vigilant."
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Shortly after the explosion in Qatar, the IDF issued a statement saying it had targeted "senior leadership" of Hamas with "a precise strike" in a joint operation with the Shin Bet security agency.
"For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization's operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7th massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel," the IDF said.
On Monday, Khalil Al-Hayya met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha.
During the discussion, Al-Thani pressured Hamas to "respond positively" to a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, according to an official familiar with the meeting. The proposal, which was put forward this week, called on Hamas to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for negotiations to end the war in the enclave.
The killing of Hamas' chief negotiator is likely to derail the US's latest ceasefire effort, especially since potential US knowledge of the assassination attempt would erode Hamas' already brittle faith in Washington as an impartial negotiator.
It's not the first time Israel has carried out an attack that undermines US diplomatic efforts.
In June, Israel opened a military campaign against Iran while Washington was in talks with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Although both the US and Iran had already voiced doubts about making progress, the Israeli strikes effectively ended any chance of an agreement.
World's leaders react to strike
Syria says the attack on Doha reflects Israel's lack of respect for international law.
Syria's Foreign Ministry warned in a statement that the Israeli strikes targeting Hamas leadership represented "a dangerous escalation that would undermine security and stability in the region."
The ministry called the attack "a blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar."
Qatar has been a strong supporter of the interim government in Syria since former Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
Israel has been suspicious of Syria's new Islamist-led authorities, and Israeli forces have seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military sites since Assad's fall.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, describing them as "evidence of Israel's expansionist policies and its adoption of terrorism of state strategy."
The ministry's statement expressed Turkey's solidarity with Qatar and renewed a call on the international community to exert pressure to halt Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories and the wider region.
Omer Celik, the spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, described the attack as a "barbaric act of terrorism."
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli strikes were "part of a series of attacks committed by Israel, demonstrating its insistence on undermining all efforts made to achieve stability and security in the countries of the region and the safety of its people."
Since a ceasefire nominally put an end to the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in November, Israel has continued to launch near-daily strikes in Lebanon.
The Egyptian presidency said in a statement that the attack "targeted a meeting of Palestinian leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, to discuss ways to reach a ceasefire agreement" in Gaza.
"This attack sets a serious precedent and an unacceptable development, and constitutes a direct assault on the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar, which plays a pivotal role in mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," it said.
When asked if the British government had been told, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman Dave Pares, pointed to a statement by Israel's prime minister saying the attack was a solely an Israeli operation.
Pares called Hamas "a vile terrorist organisation," but did not directly criticise the Israeli attack.
"We do not want to see a further escalation in violence which risks further destabilisation in the region. Our overarching priority is to see an end to the horrific suffering in Gaza," he said.
However, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer later denounced the attack.
"I condemn Israel's strikes on Doha, which violate Qatar's sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region," he said.
"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."
Downing Street confirmed that Starmer's meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog will go ahead Wednesday local time in the UK.
"The Prime Minister will be meeting the Israeli president, where he'll raise the intolerable situation in Gaza, the action Israel must take to end the horrific suffering we're witnessing. It cannot go on any longer," a spokesman said.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in a statement that he's very concerned about the safety of the hostages still held by Hamas.
Germany is a staunch ally of Israel, though in recent months it has become increasingly critical of Israel's actions in Gaza.
"Israel's attack in Doha not only violates the territorial sovereignty of Qatar, but also endangers all our efforts for the release of the hostages," Wadephul said.
"This strike is unacceptable," he said.
He said he has voiced his concern about the lives and safety of hostages held by Hamas, including German citizens, in a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Wadephul said he spoke to his Qatari counterpart and expressed his "solidarity" and recognition of efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.
In a phone call with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described Israel's attack on Doha as a "criminal act and a flagrant violation of international law."
He offered Saudi Arabia's "full solidarity" with Qatar.
Mohammed al-frah a member of the Houthis' political office in Yemen, posted his condemnation of the attack on X, saying Israel and the United States are fully responsible.
"This cowardly operation was nothing but a deliberate assassination attempt against the negotiating delegation, a despicable effort to eliminate any prospect for peace, and an execution of any diplomatic hope in the region," he said.
Iraq's foreign ministry said in a statement that this "cowardly act represents a flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty and poses a threat to its security and stability.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates Iraq's firm position in standing with the government and people of the sisterly State of Qatar, and fully supporting it in confronting any attacks that undermine its sovereignty or threaten its national security," the statement read.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN applauded the 'courageous' attack in Doha.
Danny Danon defended his country's strike Tuesday on Hamas' headquarters in Doha, saying "there is no hiding place for terrorists."
"The precise strike in Doha targeted senior Hamas leaders who planned the October 7 massacre and celebrated while our citizens were abducted," Danon posted on X.
"I commend our security forces for this courageous and precise operation."
UN General Assembly's new president calls for 'maximum restraint'
Annalena Baerbock called Israel's attack in Qatar an escalation of the conflict in Gaza and "obviously concerning."
Baerbock, a former German foreign minister, stressed that all 193 UN member nations are required by the UN Charter to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country.
She called for intensified diplomatic efforts toward an immediate and permanent ceasefire, improved humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza by the Israeli government, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
Baerbock spoke shortly after taking the oath of office to become president of the 80th session of the General Assembly, which ends in September 2026.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the Israeli attack on Hamas' headquarters in Doha.
"We are just learning about the Israeli attacks in Qatar, a country that has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and the release of all hostages," Guterres told reporters at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
"I condemn this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar," he said, adding "all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it."
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