Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel notified the United States in advance of its airstrikes targeting senior Hamas leaders in Doha, a White House official said on Tuesday.

“We were informed in advance,” AFP quoted the official as saying, referring to the strike on Qatar, a key US ally in the region and host to a major American military base.

Qatar, a key mediator in ongoing efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Tuesday that Israeli airstrikes targeted the residences of several senior Hamas political bureau members based in the Gulf state.

The strikes, reportedly carried out jointly by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency, came as Hamas officials were believed to be meeting in Doha to discuss a new ceasefire proposal.

“Yesterday, following the deadly attacks in Jerusalem and Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed all security agencies to prepare for the possibility of targeting Hamas leaders,” said a joint statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz.

“Today at noon (0900 GMT), in light of an operational opportunity… the prime minister and the defence minister decided to implement the directive given last night.”

The strikes followed a deadly shooting in Jerusalem on Monday that killed six people and was claimed by Hamas.

While Israeli officials and local media have not confirmed whether the intended Hamas targets were hit, a Hamas official in Gaza told AFP the group’s negotiators had been “targeted.” However, it remains unclear if any casualties occurred.

Hamas has yet to issue an official statement on the fate of its senior leadership in Qatar.

Among the high-ranking Hamas officials believed to be based in Doha are lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal.

“Today at noon, in light of an operational opportunity… the prime minister and the defence minister decided to implement the directive given last night.”

With inputs from agencies