Description: The Israeli military has conducted an aerial attack on a compound in Qatar’s capital, Doha, where Hamas negotiating officials met with Qatari mediators. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu took full credit for the attack, designating it as a surgical precision strike based on remarkable intelligence from Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet and a retaliation for the bus shooting in East Jerusalem. Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al – Thani, vigorously criticized Israel’s flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and called it an illegal military operation which considerably diminished Qatar’s invested mediation efforts for the cessation of the war in Gaza. The White House official press release and statement from President Trump, criticized Israel’s attacks on the one hand and on the other speculated with the idea that the US timely warned Qatar of the attacks, a statement Qatar rejected and called baseless. Five low – level members of Hamas’ entourage in Doha were killed in the attacks, while the leaders remained sequestered at a safe location, as per Hamas’ official statements.
Impact: Israel’s direct military action in Doha solidifies the country’s primary intent and objective to continue the war opposed to forwarding a peaceful resolution, as the aerial attack directly struck the building where negotiations were taking place. The attacks effectively undermine the entire peace process and broadly impacts the regional power dynamics as both Qatar and Israel are staunch US allies. Trump’s Abraham Accords are also under severe scrutiny as Israel’s military action resonates with countries in the region in a dissuasive manner to approach any agreement which stipulates diplomatic reconciliation with Israel. The complete spectrum of consequences from the attacks is yet to be revealed, however, the entire Gaza peace platform is currently in a state of collapse with regional tensions in the Gulf rapidly escalating.