DOHA, Qatar — Israel faced an intense new wave of global outrage Wednesday after its attack in Qatar targeting Hamas leaders as they gathered to discuss a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's brazen strike on Doha, the capital of the influential Gulf state that has played a key role in negotiations, was roundly condemned as an escalation that threatened to derail efforts to end the war.
President Donald Trump offered rare public criticism, telling reporters that he was "very unhappy" about the attack, which killed at least six people but did not appear to have taken out its main targets.
It raised fears that there would be no truce to avert Israel's threatened ground assault on famine-stricken Gaza City, where it has ordered residents to immediately leave the area and bombed high-rise buildings it says are used by Hamas.
The Israeli attack hit an area surrounded by residences, diplomatic missions and international schools. The front of one building appeared blackened Wednesday when an NBC News team traveled to the site. Security surrounded the building, preventing onlookers from getting close.
In an interview in Jerusalem on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that “we don’t know yet” whether Israel succeeded in killing Hamas’ top leaders but that they should know within the next 24-48 hours.
Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that its senior leadership had survived, but said six people had been killed. It named the six, including the son of Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leader in Gaza, as well as his office director.
Qatar confirmed that a member of its internal security forces was also killed.
Huckabee declined to comment directly on the attack, deferring to the White House. But he said that “countries make decisions based on what they think their best interests are and that doesn’t mean everyone agrees.”
He added that “the honest answer is we don’t know” how the strike may affect ceasefire talks and efforts to release the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Qatar condemned “the cowardly Israeli attack," calling it a “blatant violation of all international laws and norms.” It was joined by a flurry of states from across the Middle East, as well as China, Russia and others.
"It is a terrible attack that will have humanitarian consequences, as well as legal and procedural ones," Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in an interview in Doha. He added that a legal team had been established to "study all the legal means" of addressing the strike.
"This should not go unanswered," he said, labeling the strike "the activity of a rogue state" as he called on the international community to act.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan traveled to Qatar on Wednesday for a "fraternal visit," UAE state news agency WAM reported, an apparent show of solidarity a day after the strike.
Israel's planned assault on Gaza City has fueled criticism from European powers that have long been its allies. They warned that the strike threatened to imperil the renewed push for a deal that would prevent that operation going ahead.
Trump on Friday said the U.S. was in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas, which said that Israel's attack showed it did not "want to reach any agreement."
As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepared to welcome Israeli President Isaac Herzog to London on Wednesday, he disavowed the attack, saying it violated Qatar's sovereignty and risked “further escalation across the region.”
French President Emmanuel Macron called the assault "unacceptable, whatever the reason, adding that "under no circumstances should the war spread throughout the region."
The blowback came as Israel also faced mounting backlash over its deadly campaign in Gaza, with outrage growing over its bid to take over Gaza City, where famine was declared by the world's leading body on hunger last month.
Thousands of leaflets rained down over the city Tuesday with orders from the Israeli military demanding Palestinians leave the area to an already-crowded so-called "humanitarian zone" further south.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the military strike in Qatar had been targeting the planners of the Hamas-led attacks Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 64,500 people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave.
Keir Simmons and Charlene Gubash reported from Doha, Richard Engel and Gabe Joselow from Jerusalem and Chantal Da Silva from London.
