A top Hezbollah official said Hamas revealed to the Iran-backed group how a last-minute decision to ditch phones in Doha saved them from an Israeli strike.
The Israeli army attack targeted Hamas negotiators while they were studying Gaza ceasefire proposals on Tuesday. Hamas said its top negotiator and other senior officials survived, but five others were killed. A Qatari security officer also died at the scene.
“According to the account they [Hamas] told us, the meeting was supposed to take place at that location,” said Mahmoud Qomati, vice president of Hezbollah’s political council, in an interview with Lebanese journalist Nada Andraos.
“But before it began, they agreed to leave their phones where they were, with the bodyguards, and go to another room for the meeting without phones,” he added.
“It seems the Israeli method was to target the location where the phones were present,” clarified Mr Qomati.
The attack in Doha was widely condemned. Qatar said it was investigating the circumstances of the air strike. Hamas did not specify if the targeted leaders were injured.
A security source told The National that the office of Hamas leader Khalil Al Hayya was the target. His son Hammam was among those killed in the strike.
“This is how they struck in Lebanon,” said Mr Qomati, in reference to the hundreds of Israeli attacks against Hezbollah members.
He added that a few days ago, a Hezbollah official was attacked. “He threw his phone and fled, so the strike hit the phone’s location, and he survived,” he explained.