Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, defended Tuesday’s air strike in Qatar, saying Israel would not stop pursuing Hamas leaders.
“If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them the next time,” Leiter told Fox News’ Special Report. He said the strike would “change the region for the better” by removing “enemies of peace and Western civilisation.”
The Israeli operation in Doha targeted Hamas’s political leadership, raising fears that it could derail ongoing ceasefire talks in Gaza.
Hamas Casualties and Survival of Leadership
Hamas said five members were killed in the attack, including the son of exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya.
Political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera that the group’s top leadership had survived.
A senior Israeli official admitted that confidence in the strike’s outcome had given way to doubt, noting the absence of clear results “in an orderly country like Qatar.”
Qatar Condemns ‘State Terrorism’
Qatar confirmed that one of its security officers was killed in the strike and accused Israel of treachery and “state terrorism.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned the attack threatened to derail mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel.
Despite the air strike, most schools and businesses in Doha reopened on Wednesday. In the Legtafiya neighbourhood, however, schools were closed and a petrol station remained cordoned off.
U.S. Reaction: Trump ‘Unhappy,’ Doubts Over Ceasefire Talks
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the Israeli operation, which Washington described as a unilateral move not serving American or Israeli interests.
Asked how the strike might impact ceasefire talks, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said: “The honest answer is, we simply don’t know.” He accused Hamas of rejecting every proposal so far, while insisting the group’s fighters “have to go.”
