Wall Street Journal reveals details of Israeli attack in the heart of Doha; Egypt and Turkey warn Hamas

The U.S. Wall Street Journal revealed new details on Wednesday about an Israeli strike that targeted the Qatari capital Doha in an attempt to eliminate several senior Hamas leaders, which was described as “a failed assassination operation”.

According to the report, Egyptian and Turkish officials had, weeks before the operation, issued a “vague but stern” warning to Hamas leadership to tighten security around their meetings. Nevertheless, the movement’s political leadership continued to hold meetings in Doha to discuss the U.S. proposal put forward by President Donald Trump, only to find themselves facing an unprecedented Israeli attack.

The paper said Hamas leaders were accustomed to moving between Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, but they met before the operation in a building in Doha. The decision to target the meeting came after months of preparation and a series of Israeli assassinations, including the killings of Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif in Gaza, the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh inside a fortified compound in Tehran, and the targeting of thousands of Hezbollah members in the “بيجرز” operation.

According to sources, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the operation after a meeting with military leaders, and it was carried out by ten fighter jets that launched long-range precision missiles.

The Israeli army informed its U.S. counterpart minutes before the strike, but did not disclose the specific target; U.S. military leaders later concluded that the attack was aimed at Hamas leaders in Qatar after tracking the missile trajectories.

In the wake of the attack, Qatari authorities tightened security measures and blocked access to the strike site, while Hamas leaders refused to allow a senior movement official to visit the location, saying that “the threat is not over yet”.