Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, tells Al Jazeera that a number of people were killed in the bombing.

Published On 9 Sep 20259 Sep 2025

The Hamas leadership has survived Israel’s “cowardly assassination attempt” in the Qatari capital Doha, Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, has told Al Jazeera.

In its first official statement on Tuesday evening, Hamas said Israel’s attack was intended to derail prisoner exchange talks and ceasefire negotiations to end the Israel-Palestine war.

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The group confirmed that its top leaders survived the assassination attempt, while six people were killed, including the son of Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya, one of his aides, and a Qatari security officer.

“This once again reveals the criminal nature of the occupation and its desire to undermine any chances of reaching an agreement,” Hamas said.

Al-Hindi said the Palestinian group holds the United States administration responsible for the attack, which the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “in the strongest terms”. Doha called the assault a “blatant violation of all international laws and norms”.

“The State of Qatar affirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and its continued tampering with regional security, as well as any action targeting its security and sovereignty,” ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Hamas leaders, al-Hindi said, were meeting with a positive outlook on the latest US ceasefire proposal to end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians in less than two years.

Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim said from Doha that the unprecedented attack on the city, which has hosted negotiations for a potential ceasefire in Gaza, reflected how “emboldened” Israel has become “by being able to carry out a genocide and getting away with it”.

The Hamas office was established in the country at the request of the US to facilitate peace talks.

Trump notified Qatar ahead of Israeli attack

Explosions were reported in Doha in the first such attack by Israel in Qatar, a key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and home to the region’s largest US military base, Al Udeid airbase, which hosts US troops.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed in a statement that the Israeli military carried out the attack in Doha on Tuesday against Hamas leaders. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the administration of US President Donald Trump was notified by the US military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which “very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar”.

“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” she said. “However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”

Leavitt said that Trump “immediately directed” US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar of the attack.

The White House said that Trump has assured Qatari officials that such attacks will not be repeated.

“The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack,” said Leavitt.

“The president also spoke to the emir and prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship to our country,” she added. “He assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”

Regional and global condemnation

The attack has drawn swift regional and global condemnation, with Saudi Arabia “denouncing in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar”.

It warned of the “grave consequences resulting from the Israeli occupation’s persistence in its criminal transgressions and its blatant violation of the principles of international law and all international norms”.

The leaders of the United Kingdom and France condemned Tuesday’s attack by Israel, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying it violated Qatar’s sovereignty, while French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack “unacceptable”.