海角社区官网

Hamas said its top leaders survived, while acknowledging the deaths of two lower-ranking members and three bodyguards. The militant group, which has sometimes only confirmed the killing of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof that senior figures were still alive.

Qatar said a member of its internal security forces was killed and others were wounded.

The strike came as Hamas leaders based in the Qatari capital, Doha, were weighing from the Trump administration. The White House said Israel had informed the U.S. before the strike and that it had in turn warned the Qataris.

President Donald Trump distanced himself from the strike, saying in a social media post that 鈥渢his was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,鈥� and that bombing Qatar “does not advance Israel or America鈥檚 goals.”

Here’s what to know:

Why Hamas leaders were meeting in Qatar

Nearly all of Hamas’ top leaders in Gaza, including the two architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, . But part of the group’s senior leadership, , Mahmoud Darwish and Khaled Meshaal, have long resided abroad, mainly in Qatar and Turkey.

Israel has threatened wherever they are, but until now had steered clear of Qatar, likely because of the Gulf nation’s close ties to the United States and its role as a mediator.

Hamas has survived the assassination of several top leaders since , but it has never faced an onslaught on the scale of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack.

The war has killed , according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says women and children make up around half of the dead. Entire towns and neighborhoods , 90% of the population of 2 million has been displaced, , and parts of the territory .

The Hamas-run government and police have largely vanished, but the group is still able to mount guerrilla-style attacks on Israeli forces. Four soldiers were killed Monday when a bomb was thrown into a tank.

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack and killed some 1,200, mostly civilians. Forty-eight hostages are still inside Gaza, , after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

They are Hamas鈥� last bargaining chip, and the militants say they will release them only in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

Impact on ceasefire negotiations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed. Even then, he says Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza.

Israelis have held mass protests accusing Netanyahu of . They want a ceasefire that would return the hostages, and many fear that further escalation could doom the surviving captives, held in tunnels and other secret locations around Gaza.

Earlier this week, Trump said he was giving his 鈥渓ast warning鈥� to Hamas, while Israel is in the initial stages of in Gaza City. Hamas said it received a new U.S. ceasefire proposal calling for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages in return for talks on ending the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Israel said it accepted the deal, while a senior Hamas official, Bassem Naim, described it as a 鈥渉umiliating surrender document” offering no guarantees that Israel would end the war or leave Gaza. Still, Hamas said it would discuss the proposal with other armed groups and respond within days.

Those discussions were underway when the explosions rang out in Doha.

Hamas already harbored deep mistrust of Israel and the United States after in March that Trump helped broker. The Doha strike plunges the talks into even greater uncertainty.

The final decision on the hostages, in any case, is likely to be made by Hamas’ battered but still intact armed wing inside Gaza that is holding them. It’s led by Ezzedin al-Haddad, a veteran commander who has gone deep underground.

Hamas’ surviving leaders are likely to further limit their communications in the wake of the strike, which could slow the negotiations even if they continue.

Regional implications

Israel has carried out multiple strikes against , as well as Iranian generals , as the war sparked by the Oct. 7 attack has convulsed the region over the past two years.

But the strike in Qatar, a close U.S. ally that had cultivated close ties with President Donald Trump 鈥� even giving him for Air Force One 鈥� shocked the region and could deepen Israel’s already .

Key American allies, including Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, strongly condemned Tuesday鈥檚 strike.

Qatar鈥檚 prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, called it an act of 鈥渟tate terror” and accused Netanyahu of 鈥渂arbarism.” He said Qatar would 鈥渟pare no effort鈥� to try to end the war in Gaza but that there was nothing 鈥渧alid鈥� about the current talks in the wake of the Israeli attack.

In addition to hosting thousands of U.S. forces at the Al Udeid military base, Qatar has also served as a key mediator, not only with Hamas but the Afghan Taliban and other armed groups.

Critics accuse Qatar of bolstering Islamist groups across the region to extend its own influence. Qatar denies those allegations, saying it is focused on regional stability and that its mediation efforts are undertaken with the full knowledge and support of the U.S.

___

Follow AP鈥檚 war coverage at