After a failed attempt to assassinate the leadership of Hamas’s political bureau in Qatar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened more attacks if Doha did not arrest the Palestinian officials.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu told Qatar to expel Hamas or “bring them to justice, because if you don’t, we will.” Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, doubled down on Netanyahu’s threat, telling Fox News, “If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them the next time.”
The remarks followed an Israeli attack involving several munitions on a Hamas building in Doha on Tuesday.
While the strike did not kill members of Hamas’s leadership and negotiating team, five members of the organization were killed along with a Qatari security official. The Hamas officials were meeting in Doha to discuss a hostage exchange and ceasefire deal proposed by President Donald Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the assassination attempt caused a “heated” phone call between Trump and Netanyahu. Axios spoke with officials who said top members of the Trump administration were infuriated with Tel Aviv for failing to notify Washington of the strike.
However, there is no indication that Trump plans to withdraw any of the substantial support the US provides to Israel.
