Hamas says its top leaders survived the Israeli strike on Qatar and that five lower-ranking members died.
A Qatari security personnel was also killed, the Hamas statement said.
Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof its top leaders had survived.
Israel launched a strike targeting Hamas’ leadership in Qatar on Tuesday as they considered a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The strike on the territory of a U.S. ally marked a stunning escalation and risked upending talks aimed at winding down the war and freeing hostages.
What to know:
- The son of Hamas’ leader in Gaza killed in strike: The son of Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ leader for Gaza and top negotiator, was killed along with the head of al-Hayya’s office, said Suheil al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, speaking to Al-Jazeera. A member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force was killed and others were wounded, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said.
- US had some forewarning about the strike: That’s according to an Israeli official and another person familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The U.S. military did not participate in the strikes that took place in Doha, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
- Qatar responds: Qatar condemned what it referred to as a “cowardly Israeli attack” on Hamas’ political headquarters in Doha. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari called it a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.”
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