Qatar continues search for missing people in Doha after attack as Hamas says Israeli goals not fulfilled

Authorities in Qatar are carrying out a search operation to find two missing people and identify the human remains of those who died in an Israeli attack in Doha two days ago.

The Qatari interior ministry has said that officials have identified three out of the five Hamas members who died in the airstrikes, along with the one Qatari security officer.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the attacks in the Gulf country, which has been playing the role of chief mediator in the conflict, Hamas has said that the country’s attempt to assassinate its negotiating team failed.

Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani has been tight-lipped about the fate of Hamas’ key negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. “Until now… there is no official declaration,” he said.

According to a report by BBC, the talk of the town within the Israeli military is that it has been unsuccessful in its controversial attack in Qatar that received a rare rebuke from its ally, the US.

Netanyahu defended the strike, claiming it targeted the “terrorist masterminds” behind the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.

‘Killed hope for hostages’

Qatar’s prime minister warned Wednesday that an unprecedented Israeli strike in Doha targeting Hamas killed hope for Gaza hostages, calling for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to be “brought to justice”.

“I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told CNN.

Doha is “reassessing everything” around its involvement in future ceasefire talks and discussing next steps with Washington, he added in comments cited in CNN’s live blog after an interview with the broadcaster.

Earlier Wednesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed that Israel would “act against its enemies anywhere” while Netanyahu urged Qatar to expel Hamas officials or hold them to account, “because if you don’t, we will”.

Who were killed in the attack?

Three bodyguards and negotiator Khalil al-Hayya’s aide and son were all killed in the attack, Hamas said, affirming “the enemy’s failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation”.

Qatar’s interior ministry said a member of its internal security forces was killed in the strikes and several other security personnel were wounded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes in response to a Monday shooting in Jerusalem that killed six people and was later claimed by Hamas.