'What Other Country Gets Away With All of This?': Israel Bombs Hamas Ceasefire Negotiating Team in Doha

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The government of Qatar slammed Israel for a "cowardly" attack in violation of international law on Tuesday, an assassination attempt which targeted members of Hamas' negotiating team in the capital city of Doha who had gathered to discuss a new Gaza ceasefire proposal put forth by US President Donald Trump.

Al Jazeera reported on "multiple explosions... in Qatar's capital, Doha, this afternoon, followed by plumes of smoke that rose above an area where some embassies are located."

Reporting from Jordan for the outlet, Hamdah Salhut wrote that the airstrikes against the negotiators were "surely unprecedented."

"[Qatar] is a country that is hosting mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire, that has been working tirelessly to get to some sort of an agreement to end the war," said Salhut. "This is clearly going to be seen as an escalation because the Israeli army is operating in a way that they haven't before, saying they are taking new measures, especially in light of the plans to seize Gaza City."

As they attacked the negotiating team, the Israel Defense Forces also demanded the evacuation of 1.3 million Palestinians from Gaza City and areas north of it, as they intensify attacks there.

The assassination attempt came hours after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had accepted the US proposal, many of the details of which have not been disclosed. According to Al Jazeera, the proposal was similar to one previously proposed by the US which would require the release of half of the living Israeli captives who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, after which a 60-day ceasefire would begin with negotiations for a permanent end to the war.

That deal was agreed to by both parties before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed out.

A spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the attack on the negotiating team was a "criminal attack" that constitutes "a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and [is] a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents of Qatar."

"While the state of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty," said the ministry. "Investigations are underway at the highest level, and further details will be announced as soon as they are available."

Mohammed El-Kurd, a Palestinian writer at The Nation, noted that the attack came hours after the bombing of the Global Sumud Flotilla that was bound for Gaza with humanitarian aid and anchored in Tunis.

"These are brazen acts of war. What other country gets away with all of this?" said El-Kurd, adding that the assassination attempt "was reportedly coordinated with the US."

Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News, also said the US appeared to have helped orchestrate the attack.

"Here's what just happened: Trump sent a peace deal to Hamas, Hamas met to discuss it in Doha, where the US is mediating talks and has a base, and Israel bombed them, presumably with US support," wrote Grim. "The strike in Doha was aimed at Hamas negotiators who were gathered to discuss Trump's ceasefire offer, according to a Hamas official speaking on Al Jazeera, much as Trump carried out fake nuclear talks with Iran in order to kill Iranian negotiators. That might explain why Trump's offer was so short and scant on details. The whole point was to gather people together to discuss the peace offer to kill them."

Michael Scaglione of the podcast "Two Doomed Men" said that if Grim's suggested version of events is confirmed, US President Donald Trump "has now okayed more than one 'Red Wedding'-style deception/manipulation under the pretext of negotiating."

"The more of this that occurs," he said, "the harder it becomes to enter good faith negotiations with anyone."

Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy, called Tuesday's attack "absolutely insane."

US military sources in the region told Al Jazeera that they had not been aware of the attack before it occurred, but said they could not "speak to whether or not the White House was informed."

"So the genocidal Israeli military just struck another sovereign nation, this time Qatar, an American ally that has been working alongside Washington to media ceasefire negotiations, where it targeted Hamas' political leaders who were reportedly gathering to discuss US proposal," said Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American political analyst.

Tuesday's attack in Doha, he added, "should put an end to any idea that Israel is interested in a deal in Gaza, if anyone was still entertaining that. Its sole focus is genocide in Gaza."