The IDF and Shin Bet announced late Tuesday that the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike targeting Hamas’s top leadership, in what would mark an unprecedented expansion of the war beyond Gaza.

The joint statement did not name Qatar, but the announcement came shortly after large explosions were reported in Doha, where much of Hamas’s political leadership is based. Sources said Hamas’s senior political leadership had gathered in Doha to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal. Those present reportedly included Khaled Mashal, Khalil al-Hayya, Mohammed Darwish, Zaher Jabarin, Husam Badran, Taher Al-Nono, and Mousa Abu Marzouk.

Israeli officials tell Hebrew media that the attack – dubbed “Operation Summit of Fire” – was coordinated with the US and received the greenlight from President Trump.

“The members of the leadership who were struck led the terror organization’s activities for years, and are directly responsible for carrying out the October 7 massacre and waging the war against the State of Israel,” the IDF and Shin Bet said.

Qatar has reacted with indignation, condemning the “criminal assault” and calling it a “flagrant violation of international law.”

Israeli officials told Hebrew media outlets that the blasts in Doha were the result of an Israeli strike on Hamas’s senior leadership. The military said it used precision munitions and advanced intelligence methods to minimize civilian casualties.

Witnesses in Qatar’s capital reported multiple blasts and plumes of smoke rising from the Katara District, a neighborhood in the north of the city. “Several explosions were heard in Doha,” Reuters reporters on the ground confirmed.

If confirmed, the strike represents the most significant Israeli attack on Hamas’s leadership abroad since the war began.

Nearly all of Hamas’s senior military commanders in Gaza have been killed during the nearly two-year conflict, according to Israeli officials. Until now, however, Hamas’s political leaders abroad — many of whom operate from Qatar and Turkey — had largely escaped Israel’s campaign.

Israel has long accused Doha of hosting and shielding Hamas figures, even as Qatar positions itself as a mediator, alongside Egypt, in ongoing ceasefire talks.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)