DOHA (Realist English). A senior Hamas figure has spoken publicly for the first time since last week’s Israeli strike in the Qatari capital, describing how the group’s leadership narrowly survived what he called an assassination attempt.
Ghazi Hamad told Al Jazeera Arabic on Wednesday that he and other officials were meeting to review a U.S. ceasefire proposal conveyed by Qatari mediators when explosions erupted nearby. “We immediately left the scene, because we knew from the start that the explosions were Israeli shelling. We’ve lived in Gaza and experienced Israeli shelling before,” Hamad said.
Israel fired about 12 rockets in less than a minute, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, according to officials. The targeted delegation had been involved in negotiations over a ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives. “By God’s decree … we survived this aggression,” Hamad added.
Hamas confirmed its senior leaders survived. U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy” about the strike and later insisted Israel would not carry out further attacks on Qatari territory. The assault marked Israel’s first on Qatar, a key U.S. ally hosting American Central Command’s forward base.
In response, Arab and Islamic leaders convened an emergency summit in Doha, condemning what they called a “cowardly” Israeli act. The gathering ended without concrete measures. Hamad urged a unified Arab response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s regional policies and criticized Washington’s credibility as a mediator. “He [Trump] doesn’t scare us,” Hamad said, insisting that Israeli captives in Gaza were being treated “according to our values” and that their safety was endangered only by Israeli actions.
The Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli operations since October 2023 have killed more than 65,000 people, including about 19,000 children. On Tuesday, a UN inquiry concluded Israel’s campaign amounts to genocide, echoing findings by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. A separate case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice is ongoing.