Smoke rises after blasts were heard in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The Israeli military said it targeted senior Hamas leaders on Tuesday (September 9, 2025), after AFP journalists in Doha reported explosions in the Qatari capital, where the Palestinian group’s political bureau is based.
“The IDF (Israeli military) and ISA (security agency) conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organisation,” the military said, without specifying where the strike took place.
An AFP journalist in Doha reported explosions rocking a Hamas compound in the city.
“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organisation’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 (2023) massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel,” the military said.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday (September 9, 2025) praised the targeting of Hamas leaders, after Qatar said an Israeli strike targeted residential buildings housing members of the Palestinian militant group in Doha.
“Terrorists have no immunity and will never have immunity from Israel’s long arm anywhere in the world,” Mr. Smotrich wrote on X, hailing a “right decision and a perfect execution by the IDF (Israeli military) and the Shin Bet (security agency)“.
Tuesday’s (September 9, 2025) strikes come less than two weeks after armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir vowed to target the group’s leaders based abroad.
“Most of Hamas’s leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well,” Lt. Gen. Zamir said on August 31.
“May all your enemies perish, Israel,” Culture Minister Miki Zohar posted on X.
Hamas and Israel have held multiple rounds of indirect ceasefire negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States throughout the nearly two-year Gaza war.
Despite two temporary truces, the talks have failed to bring a lasting end to the war.
Hamas said Sunday (September 7, 2025) it was ready to “immediately sit at the negotiating table” following what it described as “some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement”.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday (September 7, 2025) he was issuing a “last warning” to Hamas, insisting it accept a deal to release the hostages seized during the October 2023 attack which sparked the war.
Qatar condemns attack
Qatar condemned the attacks, which it described as a “cowardly” Israeli strike targeting residential buildings housing members of Palestinian militant group Hamas’s political bureau.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in a post on X.
Gross violation of all international rules: Iran
Iran, a key backer of Hamas, condemned on Tuesday (September 9, 2025) as a “gross violation” strikes targeting the Palestinian militant group’s leaders in Qatar, which Doha blamed on Israel.
“This extremely dangerous and criminal action is a gross violation of all international rules and regulations, a violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV, after Israel said it targeted Hamas leaders without specifying where.
Published – September 09, 2025 07:07 pm IST
