Death Blow in Doha | The American Spectator

“Anyone who dares to harm our hostages will have blood on their head. We will hunt you down and get you,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the Gaza envelope in November 2024.

On Tuesday, September 9, Jerusalem made good on this promise.

On Tuesday afternoon, the joint Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Shin Bet (Israeli counterterrorism) operation “Summit of Fire” was carried out when 10 Israeli Air Force (IAF) jets, including stealth F-35s, dropped bombs on a residential building in the Qatar capital of Doha, where Hamas’s top leadership was meeting. The first blasts were reported by Reuters around 4 pm at a residential compound known to be a safe house for Hamas and had been guarded by Qatari guards since the beginning of the war. The Hamas leadership was reportedly meeting to discuss the new U.S.-led hostage-ceasefire deal. (RELATED: Not Deceived by Hamas, Israel Will See This Fight Through)

In a joint statement, the Shin Bet and IDF confirmed: “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.” Those reportedly killed included Khalil al-Hayya, leader of Hamas in Gaza; Zaher Jabarin, leader of Hamas in the West Bank; and Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas abroad (with a net worth of around $5 billion on his head).

An official statement by Hamas asserted that the strike showed that Israel is “not interested in reaching any agreement,” and downplayed its effect, stating that only five people were killed, and insisted that none were members of the group’s leadership.

Israeli reporting stated that the U.S. was informed of the operation in advance and that the White House had given its approval. But hours after the attack, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace … does not advance Israel’s or America’s goals.” President Trump also stated on Truth Social that he was notified about the attack at the last minute before he could stop it, adding, “This was a decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me.” (RELATED: Qatar Is Not Part of the Solution)

The Al Udeid Air Base in Doha is not only the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, but it is also home to a UK air station and hosts other foreign national aircraft. The likelihood of Israeli jets, even stealth F-35s, slipping past US detection and entering Qatari airspace on a covert mission is nearly impossible, affirming that the US had given “Operation Summit of Fire” a green light. Contradictory statements from the White House press office suggest a diplomatic game of “good cop, bad cop” as Washington and Jerusalem reach in tandem for the same objective.

Speaking in English at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem after the airstrike in Doha, Netanyahu reiterated that “the blood of Jews is not cheap” and warned that “the days are over when terror leaders will enjoy immunity in a particular place.”

The Israeli premier also offered encouragement and support to the people of Gaza. “Don’t be derailed by these murderous terrorists, by these killers. They don’t care a hoot about you,” Netanyahu said. “They go to the underground tunnels, and they keep you above ground so you serve as human shields for them.” (RELATED: Palestinian Support for Hamas Remains High)

This statement came hours after the IDF in Gaza began systematically toppling high-rise apartment buildings in Gaza City known to be strategic surveillance and operational centers for Hamas. To the global media, the circulating video footage of high-rises in Gaza crumbling to the ground sparked a humanitarian outcry. But on the ground, the IDF had facilitated the evacuation of civilians and distributed leaflets in Arabic stating: “To all residents and people in Gaza City and all its neighborhoods, from the Old City and Tuffah in the east to the sea in the west, the IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force. For your safety, evacuate immediately via the Al-Rashid corridor to the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.”

Recent Terror Attacks Against Israel

The airstrikes in Doha also followed significant terror attacks in Israel. On Sunday, the arrivals hall at the Ilan Ramon International Airport in the southern resort city of Eilat on the Red Sea was hit by a Houthi drone without any warning. The IDF detected the drone on radar and failed to classify it as hostile, therefore not activating air defenses or warning sirens. The IDF confirmed there was no technical error or malfunction in air detection or defense, only human error. One man in his 50s was treated for shrapnel injuries from the explosion inside the airport, which caused significant damage, noted the emergency unit Magen David Adom.

Ramon Airport is the second international airport in Israel, servicing domestic flights from Tel Aviv and Haifa and international flights to southern Europe. Within two hours of the attack, Israeli airspace was back open and flights resumed.

Then, on Monday, two terrorists from the West Bank entered Jerusalem, boarded bus number 62 at the busy Ramot junction, blending in with the morning commute, and opened fire. Video footage of the attack shows traffic at a standstill when rapid shots are heard from a stopped bus. Hordes of pedestrians start running while shots continue. One brave taxi driver patiently helps an elderly woman exit his car and escorts her to safety while the bus parked in front of him is under constant fire with bullets ricocheting off nearby parked cars.

About 20 people were shot. Three were pronounced dead on the scene by Magen David Adom, while three others later succumbed to their wounds. The terrorists were shot and killed on the scene by an off-duty IDF soldier, who is a squad commander in the new ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade, and another armed civilian. The initial police investigation identified the terrorists as ISIS members who had crossed into Israel through cracks in the so-called Seam Line fence, a protection barrier riddled with holes and breaches that separates East and West Jerusalem.

With the city of Jerusalem still reeling from the fatal attack, Netanyahu continued to address the Gazan people during his English address at the U.S. embassy on Tuesday. “Make peace with us, and accept President Trump’s proposal,” Netanyahu encouraged. “Don’t worry, you can do it, and we can promise you a different future. But you’ve got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future.”

Could this promise inspire the Palestinian Gazans to rise and join the fight to liberate themselves from Hamas? The direct olive branch from Netanyahu shows that Israel is not at war with them, but with the terrorist leaders and militants who invaded Israel and initiated the war. Only when this threat is hunted down and finally eradicated can a path toward a different, common future be negotiated.

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