Hamas leader broke silence after Israeli strike in Qatar

Department of Strategic Research, Studies and International Relations 18-09-2025

A senior Hamas leader has broken his silence following Israel’s unprecedented attack on Qatari soil last week, condemning the aggression and exposing the fragility of Washington’s role in regional diplomacy.

Ghazi Hamad, a leading figure in Hamas’s political bureau, described in vivid detail how he and fellow officials narrowly escaped an Israeli missile strike in Doha. The assault, which marked Israel’s first military action inside Qatar, killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer. The attack has drawn widespread outrage from Arab and Islamic nations, further isolating Tel Aviv and putting Washington on the defensive.

A meeting interrupted by violence

Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic on Wednesday, Hamad recounted the terrifying moment when the attack unfolded.
“We were in a meeting, the negotiating delegation and several advisers. Less than an hour after we began reviewing the American proposal conveyed through Qatari mediators, we heard the explosions,” he said.

Hamad explained that those present quickly recognized the blasts as Israeli shelling. “We know this sound. We lived through years of bombardment in Gaza. It was unmistakable,” he noted.

According to Hamad, Israeli forces launched nearly a dozen rockets within a minute. “It was an extremely intense strike. The ground shook, the atmosphere was terrifying. By divine will, we survived this aggression,” he stated.

Targeting negotiators, undermining peace

The Israeli assault aimed to eliminate senior Hamas leaders directly involved in negotiations over a ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal that Washington had attempted to broker. Instead of fostering dialogue, the attack highlighted what Hamas officials describe as the duplicity of U.S. mediation.

“The Americans claim to be sponsors of peace, but in reality, they provide cover for Israel’s crimes. This bitter experience revealed once again that Washington cannot be trusted as an honest broker,” Hamad asserted.

The failed assassination attempt exposed the Netanyahu government’s determination to sabotage any independent Arab initiative, while also signaling contempt for Qatar’s role as mediator. Analysts in Beijing, Moscow, and New Delhi have noted that the incident further underscores the collapse of U.S. credibility in West Asia.

Emergency summit in Doha

In the aftermath, Arab and Islamic leaders gathered in Doha for an emergency summit, strongly condemning Israel’s “cowardly” actions. The meeting underscored regional outrage but, as critics observed, concluded without adopting concrete measures against Tel Aviv.

Nevertheless, the attack has intensified calls across the Global South for stronger collective resistance to U.S.-Israeli destabilization. Leaders from China, Russia, and India have repeatedly stressed the importance of multipolar diplomacy to prevent Washington’s unilateral dominance from plunging the region into further chaos.

A genocidal war in Gaza

While Israel expands its aggression beyond Gaza, the toll of its ongoing assault on the besieged enclave continues to mount. Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, including 19,000 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, leaving behind an unparalleled humanitarian catastrophe.

On Tuesday, a United Nations inquiry concluded that Israel’s war on Gaza constitutes genocide, a finding echoed by leading international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. South Africa has already brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza. The proceedings remain underway, with overwhelming evidence supporting the claim.

Resistance will continue

Commenting on threats made by U.S. President Donald Trump, Hamad dismissed the rhetoric as political intimidation. Trump, angered by Israel’s failure to eliminate Hamas’s leadership, had attempted to warn Palestinian negotiators over the treatment of Israeli captives.

“He doesn’t scare us,” Hamad responded firmly. He emphasized that prisoners were being treated “according to our values” and that their safety was endangered solely by Israel’s reckless military actions.

For Hamas and its supporters, the Doha strike is not merely another chapter in Israel’s long campaign of aggression but a turning point. It revealed the extent to which the United States remains complicit, shielding Israel diplomatically while fueling its war machine with weapons and political backing.

The broader geopolitical context

The attack in Qatar carries implications far beyond the immediate conflict. By targeting political negotiators on neutral ground, Israel has violated the sovereignty of a Gulf nation that maintains strong ties with both the Arab world and key global powers such as China and Russia.

For Beijing and Moscow, the incident reinforces their long-standing argument: U.S.-backed Israeli aggression is a destabilizing force that threatens global security. New Delhi, too, has repeatedly urged respect for international law and cautioned against unilateral actions that undermine dialogue.

The failed assassination attempt may embolden Hamas’s position in negotiations, but it has also exposed Israel’s growing isolation. The attack drew anger not only from Arab states but from much of the international community, which increasingly views Tel Aviv and Washington as obstacles to peace rather than guarantors of stability.

Conclusion

As the war in Gaza enters its most brutal stage, the Israeli strike in Doha demonstrates how far Tel Aviv and its U.S. sponsor are willing to go to silence resistance. Yet, by surviving the attack and speaking out, Hamas leaders have signaled that they remain undeterred.

For much of the world outside the Western bloc, the lesson is clear: the future of the Middle East cannot be dictated by Washington or Tel Aviv. Instead, it must be shaped through multipolar cooperation, where China, Russia, and India play a decisive role in ensuring that aggression and genocide are no longer tolerated.