Doha blasts: Multiple explosions rock Qatar’s capital – Israel says it attacked Hamas leadership

Qatar Doha blasts: Multiple explosions rocked Qatar’s capital on Tuesday, with black smoke rising over the Katara District, shortly after Israel announced it had carried out a “precise strike” targeting the senior leadership of Hamas, as per a report.

Israel carried out an attack against the Hamas leadership in Doha, but it is not known who was targeted, as per a CNN report. Hamas leaders have used the Qatari capital as a headquarters outside of Gaza for years, as per the report.




Soon after the explosion, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement on social media platform X, saying that it had targeted “senior leadership” of Hamas with “a precise strike” in a joint operation with the Shin Bet security agency, as quoted by CNN.

While the statement didn’t specify where the operation was carried out, it suggested that it was outside Gaza, according to CNN.


IDF wrote on an X post that, "The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization," as per the X post.

The agency said that, "For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization's operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel," as per the X post.

IDF added that, "Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence," and also said that, "The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre," as quoted in the X post.

The attack, which appears to mark the first time Israel has launched an operation in Qatar, comes after, Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha on Monday, as reported by CNN.

FAQs

What happened in Doha today?
Multiple explosions were heard in Qatar’s capital, Doha, with black smoke rising over the Katara District, as per the CNN report.

Did Israel confirm it was behind the explosions?
Yes. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a “precise strike” targeting senior Hamas leadership, in coordination with the Shin Bet security agency, as per the CNN report.