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New Delhi: Countries around the world, including major powers, have condemned Israel's strikes on Doha on Tuesday. The attack targeted Hamas' political office, which houses its leaders. Established in 2012, the bureau has acted alongside the US and Egypt as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack as "unacceptable regardless of motive". Taking to X, Macron said that "the war must not be allowed to spread in the region".
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the attack risked "further escalation" in the volatile region. "I condemn Israel's strikes on Doha... The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza," Starmer wrote on X.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the strikes "unacceptable" , his spokesman Stefan Kornelius pointed out. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also condemned the attack, saying it "jeopardises all of our efforts to secure the release of the hostages".
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the air strikes as a “flagrant violation” of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, which has been playing a very positive role to bring about a ceasefire and release of all hostages.
Iran dubbed the attack as a “gross violation”, and “extremely dangerous and criminal action... a violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Qatar called the attack "cowardly" and said it targeted "residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".
For a long time now, Qatar has been acting as a mediator in the Middle East and beyond. It has maintained a good and strong rapport with countries that are often warring, such as the United States and Iran. Qatar, therefore, serves as a neutral venue for talks between parties who are against each other.
Many leaders of Hamas group are present in Doha, and as they are based here, the city has turned into a hub for dialogues to bring an end to the Gaza war and securing the release of all hostages held captive.
It was in 2012 that Hamas opened its political office in Doha. The office was set up after leaders, including Khaled Meshaal, left Syria a year into the country’s war. As per the Qatari officials, Hamas leaders were hosted in Doha following a request from the US.
Al Jazeera cited a 2023 opinion article in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in which the Qatari ambassador to the US, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, said that Washington wanted the office “to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas”.
Since then, a number of senior Hamas leaders have made their base in Qatar or have been staying there because of the opening of the Hamas political bureau.
Meshaal, who used to head Hamas’s political bureau and survived an Israeli assassination bid in Jordan in 1997, moved to Qatar in 2012 and has lived there ever since.
Ismail Haniyeh replaced Meshaal as political leader. Earlier, he was the Palestinian prime minister. Haniyeh was also based in Qatar from 2017 when he left Gaza to become political head. Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leadership council member, and Mousa Abu Marzouk also relocated to Doha.
Qatar has been acting as a mediator in most of the conflicts involving regional players. It wields influence over the warring parties, as it has good relations with most countries.
The country has also been offering economic assistance to Gaza for many years, and is a strong advocate for the Palestinian cause.
These twin factors are behind Qatar's decision to host Hamas leaders.
However, Sheikh Meshal, in his opinion piece in WSJ, made it clear: “The presence of the Hamas office shouldn’t be confused with endorsement but rather establishes an important channel for indirect communication.”
