Israel’s strikes inside Qatar, which have drawn global criticism, deal a hammer blow to any realistic prospect of ending the war in Gaza soon. The operation in Doha targeted Hamas’s negotiating team, which had convened to discuss the latest US ceasefire proposal, President Donald Trump’s “last warning”. Hamas has confirmed six deaths, but it has also said that the group’s leadership has survived. The attack is a sign that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down on eliminating Hamas completely, instead of focusing on a negotiated settlement that can ensure the return of the remaining Israeli hostages. Immediately after the strike, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel said they are worried about the price the hostages may have to pay.
Trump has voiced his unhappiness and insisted that Netanyahu has acted unilaterally. Qatar, after all, is no ordinary country: A tiny but wealthy Gulf state, it is a key US ally and hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East. The Qatari government condemned the attack as a “clear breach of the rules and principles of international law.” Netanyahu, however, has defended it as a targeted move on Hamas’s political leadership, in retaliation for the recent Jerusalem shooting that killed six people and an assault on an Israeli army camp in Gaza that left four soldiers dead. Article 2(4) of the UN Charter explicitly prohibits the use of force against the “territorial integrity or political independence” of another state. And without UNSC authorisation, Israel’s actions appear to constitute a violation of sovereignty and an act of aggression under international law. But over the past two years, Israel has shown little regard for the rules, executing strikes against multiple nations like Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq that almost certainly violate international law, at will.
The latest attack comes against the backdrop of three simultaneous developments. First, the planned offensive of the IDF to seize what it claims is Hamas’s last remaining stronghold in Gaza, where thousands continue to endure hunger. Second, the mounting protests inside Israel demanding an end to the war and a deal to immediately secure the release of the remaining hostages. Third, the opening of the UN General Assembly this week, where major Western nations, like the UK, France, Australia, Belgium, and Canada, are expected to follow through on their pledge to recognise the State of Palestine. If Israel’s strike on Qatar signals anything, it is that the Netanyahu government has little regard for either international opinion or domestic dissent. Its overriding objective appears to be the continuation of the war and its expansion to new fronts.
