Israel’s attack on Qatar failed and backfired
A week after Israel’s missile strikes in Qatar, it’s clear not only that the assassination attempt against Hamas leaders failed, but that it backfired.
Why it matters: The strike increased the feeling inside the Trump administration and around the world that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is reckless and has become a destabilizing force in the region.
How it happened: Israel’s plan was to take out several of Hamas’ top leaders all at once as they met to discuss President Trump’s Gaza peace proposal.
- Five Hamas members were killed, along with a Qatari security officer, but the key targets all survived.
- “None of the top Hamas leaders were killed. Maybe there were some shock victims,” a senior Israeli intelligence official told Axios.
- Netanyahu claimed the idea was that taking obstinate Hamas officials off the board would make it easier to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal.
Instead, the failed attack led to the indefinite suspension of negotiations. Hamas’ negotiators went underground, and the outraged Qatari mediators suspended their efforts.
- A senior Israeli official told Axios Hamas had been moving “in the direction of a deal” and “we could have reached a breakthrough within days.” Instead, the official argued, the strike sabotaged the talks.