Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani. Photo: File
The 9 September Israeli strike on Doha represents a decisive and calculated attack not only on Hamas leaders but on the very mechanisms of peace in the Middle East.
The negotiators targeted in Doha had arrived at Washington’s request — hours after US officials called for them to come to the table — yet Israel chose to act, killing a Qatari security officer and demonstrating a blatant disregard for sovereignty and international norms.
The strike resulted in the deaths of: Jihad Lubbad, Hamam Al-Hayya, Abdullah Abdul-Wahid, Moumen Hassouna, Ahmed Al-Mamlouk, and Saad Mohammed al-Dossari, a member of the Qatari Internal Security Force.
The attack was not spontaneous. Long before the bombs fell, Israeli political figures had framed Qatar as an adversary. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich repeatedly referred to Qatar as a “terror-supporting and terror-funding state” and demanded its exclusion from any post-war political settlement. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and others issued threats against Al Jazeera and cast Doha as an enemy of Israel.
Israel’s officials have publicly stated they will continue targeting any adversaries or entities they deem a threat to their agenda. This narrative, combined with self-victimisation portraying Israel as besieged and justified in its actions, laid the groundwork for the strike. The attack was the operationalisation of months of deliberate political framing.
Israel’s cabinet discussions, statements, and media appearances in recent months indicate that the strike was planned well in advance. The timing — coinciding with the arrival of Hamas negotiators for US-mediated talks — demonstrates a conscious effort to disrupt the peace process. The attack was a strategic choice aimed at undermining Qatar’s mediation role and advancing Israel’s broader expansionist objectives.
Israel’s military operations now span multiple fronts: Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and now Qatar. The Doha strike reflects the extension of this offensive to include neutral regional actors facilitating diplomacy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly endorsed the concept of “Greater Israel”, describing it as a historic and spiritual mission.
This vision, which aims to annex territories and reconfigure the Middle East, is now being executed in practice. The Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, referenced this vision in his statement today, linking Israel’s actions in Doha to the broader threats posed by Netanyahu’s expansionist agenda.
Qatar’s mediation efforts have been consistently obstructed. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani emphasised that the substantive elements of the ceasefire have remained largely unchanged since November 2023. He condemned the attack as “state-sponsored terrorism” and underscored Israel’s systematic sabotage of negotiations. The strike confirms that Israel’s hostility extends beyond Hamas: it is aimed at the diplomatic architecture that could stabilise the region.
Compounding the breach, US officials claim Qatar was forewarned of the attack; Doha strongly denies receiving any warning. The inconsistency undermines the credibility of international guarantees and demonstrates the limitations of alliances in constraining unilateral action by powerful states. Qatar’s attempts to solidify ties with the US, including during Donal Trump’s recent state visit — when it offered billions in investments and even a government aircraft — proved insufficient to deter aggression.
While Israel has pursued an aggressive and expansionist strategy, certain Arab regimes have contributed to the erosion of regional stability through passive acquiescence or tacit alignment with Israeli objectives. Their failure to uphold collective sovereignty and coordinate principled opposition has created an environment in which Israel can operate with near-total impunity. Doha’s call for a united Arab response is a plea to restore the credibility and cohesion of the region’s diplomatic and political institutions.
The strike on Doha exposes the failure of the international system to protect mediators, uphold sovereignty, and enforce international law. The UN secretary general condemned the strike as a “flagrant violation of sovereignty,” while regional powers — from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to Turkey, Iran, and Egypt — joined in condemnation. Yet statements without accountability enable a predictable pattern: states with military and political leverage act above the law, while diplomacy, negotiations, and neutral mediators are treated as expendable.
The Israeli attack on Doha cannot be treated as an isolated incident. It was premeditated, rooted in months of political threats and strategic framing by senior Israeli politicians, and designed to undermine both Hamas and the peace process. Coupled with Israel’s multi-front military operations and the public articulation of the Greater Israel vision, the strike illustrates a systematic strategy to reshape the Middle East in defiance of law and diplomacy.
The Qatari prime minister’s call for Arab unity is urgent and necessary: without a coordinated response, the erosion of sovereignty, international norms and regional stability will continue unabated. The world faces a stark choice: condone impunity and the normalisation of aggression, or uphold the principles that allow diplomacy and mediation to function in the Middle East.
Zeenat Adam is an international relations analyst, specialising in the Middle East and Africa. She previously served as a South African diplomat to Qatar.