Attaque israélienne contre le Hamas au Qatar: ce que l'on sait
The Israeli attack in Qatar on Tuesday targeted Hamas officials meeting in a residential complex in the heart of Doha, the capital of the Gulf country, a US ally.
Israel has not released a statement on the outcome of the attack, but Hamas has said the targeted senior officials survived, while reporting six deaths in the attack.
Here's what we know about the unprecedented strike in Qatar, which hosts the political office of the Palestinian Islamist movement, houses a major US military base, and serves as a mediator in the war in Gaza.
The attack occurred at 3:46 p.m. (12:46 GMT) in a residential area north of Doha, which is home to foreign diplomats and dignitaries as well as embassies, schools and a daycare center.
Witnesses said they heard several explosions and saw thick smoke rising into the sky.
It targeted a residential complex housing Hamas members. It was quickly sealed off by police, and access to the area was still prohibited on Wednesday.
Qatar has hosted Hamas's political office since 2012, with the blessing of the United States, which sought to maintain a channel of communication with the group, which most Western countries classify as a terrorist group.
Former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried there after being assassinated in July 2024 in Tehran in an attack blamed on Israel.
His predecessor Khaled Meshaal, as well as Khalil al-Hayya, who has emerged as Hamas's chief negotiator in the Gaza truce talks, are based in Qatar.
According to sources close to the movement, six Hamas leaders were in the building targeted by Israel at the time of the strikes: Khalil al-Hayya, Khaled Meshaal, Zaher Jabarine, the movement's head in the West Bank, as well as Bassem Naim, Ghazi Hamad, and Taher al-Nounou. AFP has not been able to contact any of them since then.
Hamas official Souheil al-Hindi said Tuesday evening that they were meeting to discuss President Donald Trump's latest proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The movement's leaders survived the attack, he said, citing Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarine. But five other members were killed, along with a member of the Qatari security forces, he added.
The Qatari Interior Ministry has confirmed the deaths of three people so far: Qatari non-commissioned officer Badr Saad Mohammed Al-Humaidi Al-Dosari, who was on duty at the targeted location; Hamam Khalil al-Hayya, the son of Hamas's chief negotiator who worked with him; and Mumen Hassouné, who is described as a bodyguard by the movement.
In addition to these three individuals, Hamas reported the deaths of Jihad Balad, the director of Khalil al-Hayya's office, as well as bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk and Abdallah Abdelwahed.
Qatar, which maintains close ties with Washington, said it was taken by surprise by the attack, which Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described as "state terrorism."
Last June, it intercepted missiles fired by Iran targeting a US base on its soil, the largest in the Middle East.
"Qatar's air defenses responded accurately to waves of Iranian missiles," the Qatari prime minister said.
"But the Israeli enemy used weapons that were not detected by radar," he said of Tuesday's attack.
He stressed that Qatar was only informed by Washington "10 minutes" after the attack carried out by Israel, a major ally of the United States.
The Donald Trump administration said it was notified only at the last minute "by the US military." "I immediately asked Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar of the imminent attack, which he did, but unfortunately too late to stop" the strikes, the US president said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Israeli attack involved at least a dozen planes carrying long-range missiles that can be fired from a distance.
AFP
Commentaires (5)
Et lorsque l'organisation nazie terroriste bombarde lâchement un bâtiment civil au Qatar, c'est "Israël attaque le Hamas au Qatar"
Et vous pauvres doulnalistes vous pompez bêtement des brèves sans analyse
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter, TikTok ou Instagram pour l'afficher automatiquement.