Israel hits six nations in 72 hrs
Agency :
Israel’s air strike on the Qatari capital, Doha, has escalated tensions across the Middle East and provoked rare diplomatic rebukes from several of its traditional allies. Since Monday, Israel has bombed sites in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and now Qatar.
The strike, launched on Tuesday, targeted a meeting of Hamas officials reportedly discussing a US-backed ceasefire proposal. It killed six people, including the son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, the director of al-Hayya’s office, three bodyguards and a Qatari security officer.
The Israeli military later confirmed the attack, saying it had hit a “terrorist compound” in the West Bay Lagoon area of Doha. The site is located near foreign embassies, residential towers, schools and nurseries.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani condemned the attack as “state terrorism” and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to derail peace talks. He said the strike represented a direct violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law, reports Helsinki Times.
“This cowardly aggression must not go unanswered,” Al Thani told CNN. “There is a regional response under discussion. We will not allow our role as a mediator to be sabotaged.”
The Qatari foreign ministry said the strike had not been coordinated with the United States, despite Qatar hosting the US Central Command’s regional headquarters just 35km from the strike site.
US President Donald Trump expressed anger at Netanyahu in a phone call shortly after the strike, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Trump reportedly told Netanyahu the strike was “unwise” and jeopardised ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
In Doha, preparations are under way for a funeral for those killed. A service was held at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque on Wednesday afternoon.
Qatar has announced that it will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Sunday. Leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan and other countries are expected to attend. The summit will consider possible legal action against Israel and review diplomatic options.
In a speech at the Shura Council, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned the Israeli strike as “unacceptable” and called on the international community to confront “Israeli aggression”.
The Russian foreign ministry issued a statement calling the strike a “gross violation of international law” and warned it could destabilise the region.
The French and Indian governments also expressed concern. French President Emmanuel Macron said the strike was “a violation of Qatari sovereignty” and called for the resumption of ceasefire negotiations. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the attack “deeply concerning” in a statement posted online.
Despite international outcry, Israeli officials indicated more strikes could follow.
At a press conference, Netanyahu said: “To Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists: You either expel them or bring them to justice. If you don’t, we will.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, defended the attack and suggested further actions were possible. “If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them the next time,” he told Fox News.
The strike in Doha was one of several Israeli operations carried out across six countries in just three days.
In Gaza, Israeli forces continue to carry out mass strikes, with 72 Palestinians reported killed on Wednesday alone. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the total death toll since the beginning of the war now stands at 64,718, with more than 163,000 wounded.
Israeli officials say they are intensifying operations in Gaza City, aiming to collapse what they describe as Hamas’s control over the area.
At least 200,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Gaza City in recent weeks. The Israeli military has ordered residents to relocate to al-Mawasi, a coastal area designated as a “humanitarian zone”, but aid agencies report that the zone is overcrowded, unsanitary and under constant surveillance by Israeli drones.
“There is no safe place in Gaza,” said Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from al-Mawasi for Al Jazeera. “Even the so-called humanitarian zones are being targeted.”
The World Health Organization says almost half of Gaza’s functional hospitals are located in the north and are now under threat. The WHO also warned that 55,000 pregnant women are at risk due to lack of access to healthcare.
In Yemen, Israeli strikes on Sanaa and al-Jawf killed at least 35 people, including journalists, according to local officials.
In Tunisia, two vessels in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aims to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza, were hit by suspected drone strikes in separate incidents.
The flotilla is carrying aid and activists from over 40 countries. The attack damaged the vessels but caused no injuries.
The UN Security Council has postponed an emergency meeting on the Doha strike until Thursday to allow the Qatari prime minister to participate.
Rights groups including Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Office have described Israel’s mass evacuation orders in Gaza as unlawful and warned that attacks on civilians and infrastructure amount to war crimes.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu remains defiant. “We will continue to strike,” he said in a post on X. “Anyone who attacks us-we will reach them.”