A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Israel has carried out a strike in the capital of Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders. No immediate confirmation of casualties, and it is an escalation in Israel's war against Hamas. It comes as Hamas was discussing a new U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. NPR's Daniel Estrin is in Tel Aviv. Daniel, what do we know so far about this strike?
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: This is the first time Israel has carried out a strike in Qatar. It is a major development in the war. Qatar says the Israeli strike was on a residential building hosting Hamas political leaders. NPR journalists in the past year have interviewed a Hamas leader in that building. Israel's military says Hamas leaders targeted were directly responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and have since been, quote, "orchestrating and managing the war" with Israel. This comes as Hamas claimed responsibility for yesterday's shooting attack in Jerusalem that killed six Israelis. Now, Israeli media are reporting that the U.S. gave Israel a green light for this strike. The U.S. has yet to comment. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not confirm or deny that but said this was a wholly independent Israeli operation.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So what role exactly does Qatar play in hosting Hamas leaders?
ESTRIN: Qatar has hosted Hamas political leaders for over a decade, and that has been in coordination with the U.S. in order to establish indirect lines of communication with the group. That's according to a Qatari official who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity to discuss this sensitive issue. The U.S. considers Hamas to be a terrorist group and does not directly communicate with Hamas. But Qatar has played a central role here because it's a main mediator between the U.S., Israel and Hamas in negotiating Gaza ceasefire deals throughout the Gaza war. Qatar called this a cowardly Israeli attack.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So I know Israel is vowing to send troops into the center of Gaza City, and it's ordered almost a million people to leave there ahead of its assault. What does this airstrike then on Hamas political leadership - its negotiators - what does it mean for the overall war?
ESTRIN: It raises significant questions. First of all, will Qatar continue to play the central role it has in hosting ceasefire negotiations and in hosting Hamas political leaders? How will negotiations be held with Hamas now if their central leadership no longer has the immunity that it has enjoyed in Qatar? And also, there's a major question here - how will this affect Israeli hostages held in Gaza? The mother of one Israeli hostage is tweeting that she is, quote, "trembling with fear" for her son held in Gaza. She accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging a ceasefire deal that the U.S. put on the table. She said enough. End this war already. Bring all the hostages back and a comprehensive agreement.
MARTÍNEZ: And considering, you know, you mentioned it's the first time Israel has ever done something like this in Qatar, what are the chances that Qatar might want to retaliate?
ESTRIN: That is unclear. Qatar has played a very significant role in being a mediator in many conflicts and being a major ally of the U.S. But there are significant questions about what this means for the U.S.' proposal for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The U.S. just laid that proposal out a few days ago, and Hamas said it was considering it and studying it when this strike took place.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, that's NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thank you.
ESTRIN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
