Israel Strikes Qatar, Condemnations Abound

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani vowed, Wednesday, to take all measures to protect his country’s sovereignty following an Israeli strike on the Qatari capital, Doha.

Emir Tamim said Qatar will pursue all measures to maintain its security and sovereignty in the face of the “blatant” Israeli attack, according to statement by the Emiri Diwan.

Direct targeting

Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike targeting the Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital, Tuesday but it emerged the targeting was unsuccessful despite the fact that five people were killed including a Qatari security personnel.

Israel targeted the Hamas negotiating delegation, Tuesday with an airstrike in which Islamic the group described as a “failed,” attempt.

Hamas announced Israel failed to assassinate its negotiating team working on a Gaza ceasefire during the raid in Doha residential complex.

However the strike killed Hammam al-Hayya, son of the movement’s Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya, his office director Jihad Lubad, three aides and a Qatari security officer Badr al-Dosari.

Khalil Al-Hayya

Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera “the movement’s leadership, headed by Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, survived the cowardly assassination attempt.” He explained the bombing took place during a meeting of the negotiating team to discuss the latest US proposal on a Gaza ceasefire.

The Israeli raid was aid at assassinating Al-Hayya who is one of Hamas’ most prominent figures and is part of a five-man leadership council that led the group since the death of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Al- Hayya has been Hamas’ chief negotiator during ceasefire and hostage talks and is responsible for many of the movement’s foreign and political affairs.

He has previously served as deputy to Sinwar and came under the spotlight after successive Israeli assassinations eliminated several top leaders of the movement, including Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh al-Arouri.

He previously chaired the Hamas Arab and Islamic Relations Office in the 2021 leadership elections.

In May 2007, eight of his relatives, including several of his brothers and their children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting him. Al-Hayya was not present during the attack.

Members of his family have also been killed in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

Zaher Jabarin

Zaher Jabarin, Hamas’ leader in the occupied West Bank, hails from the city of Salfit and is considered one of the founders of the Al-Qassam Brigades in the territory, playing a central role in building the movement’s military structure there.

He was first arrested by Israeli forces in 1993, during the First Intifada, and was sentenced to life in prison. He was held responsible for several military operations against Israel in the 1990s. He was released in a 2011 prisoner swap deal and deported outside Palestine.

On Tuesday morning, Hamas officials stated the Israeli strike occurred during a meeting to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal by US President Donald Trump. On Sunday, Trump, a close ally of Israel, confirmed that a new proposal was presented to Hamas to end the Gaza war. Hours later, Hamas announced it received US ideas via mediators and welcomed any initiative to help end the nearly two-year war on Gaza.

Trump said Tuesday an Israeli strike on Qatar was decided by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not Washington after reports of Israel-US collaberation.

“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump wrote on his the US Truth Social media platform, which he owns.

“I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did. However, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack,” he added.

It came after Qatar’s Foreign Ministry denied claims by the White House that the Gulf nation was informed in advance of Israel’s attack, adding that communication from a US official came only as explosions were underway.

Trump

Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu after the strike, and the Israeli leader told him he wants to “make peace.”

He also said he called Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, assuring him that a similar incident would not be repeated on Qatari soil.

“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 or America’s goals,” Trump wrote, reiterating an earlier statement from White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in a news conference.

Trump said he directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to finalize a defense cooperation agreement with Qatar.

Later in the day, speaking to reporters as he was heading out for dinner in Washington, DC with Cabinet members, Trump said he was not “thrilled about the whole situation.”

“It’s not a good situation, but I will say this: We want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today,” he said.

Israel’s military confirmed it conducted a “precise strike targeting the senior leadership” of the Palestinian group Hamas in the capital Doha.

Qatar strongly condemned the attack as a “blatant violation of international law” and a threat to its sovereignty and security.

The Gulf state, along with Egypt and the US, has been leading mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire agreement.

‘Cowardly assassination’

Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told Al Jazeera television that the leadership survived a “cowardly assassination attempt.”

He said Hammam al-Hayya, the son of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, and his office director, Jihad Lubad, were killed in the attack along with several aides.

According to al-Hindi, the strike took place during a meeting of the group’s negotiating team to discuss a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire.

He added that Hamas leaders Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin were among those who escaped the strike unharmed.

Al-Hindi stressed that Hamas holds both Israel and the US responsible for the attack on the Qatari capital.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani strongly condemned Israel’s attack Tuesday on the Palestinian group Hamas’ leadership in Doha, describing it as “treacherous” and an act that “can only be defined as state terrorism.”​​​​​​​

He said the attack occurred during a meeting of Hamas leaders discussing the latest US Gaza ceasefire proposal but that “Israel is working to sabotage every chance for peace.”

He affirmed that Doha “will not tolerate any violation of its sovereignty and reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack.”

“What Netanyahu is practicing is state terrorism aimed at destabilizing the region. He earlier said he would reshape the Middle East. Will he reshape the Gulf as well?”

10-Minute Warning

Al Thani said Qatar was notified of the Israeli strike 10 minutes after the attack began. The White House earlier said that the US administration had warned Qatar of the impending attack.

The attack is considered to be the first Israeli against a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member state.

“This terrorism is practiced by someone like Netanyahu in the context of systematic policies and continuous attempts to destabilize regional security,” Al Thani told reporters.

“The message is clear: there is a rogue player in this region engaging in ongoing political thuggery and violating the sovereignty of states,” he added.

He noted the attack occurred while Qatar was hosting indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel under US and Egyptian mediation.

“We are talking about a mediator state hosting official, declared negotiations – then rockets are fired at the negotiating delegation,” he said.

No moral standard

“By what logic or moral standard can this be accepted? It can only be described as outright treachery.”

Qatar, he affirmed, “will not tolerate violations of its sovereignty or territorial integrity and will act firmly against reckless breaches that endanger its security.

“There are no ongoing talks after today’s attack. Nothing remains on the table,” he added but stressed that “stability in the [Middle East] region will not be achieved through wars but through diplomacy.”

Al Thani also revealed that Israel used weapons undetected by Qatari radar systems and said Doha has held consultations with “friendly and brotherly states” to coordinate a response to the attack.

A Qatari security personnel was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted Hamas leadership in Doha on Tuesday, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that several members of the Internal Security Force were also injured in the attack.

The ministry confirmed that explosions heard in the capital on Tuesday were the result of an Israeli strike on residences housing members of the Hamas political bureau.

According to the statement, Qatari authorities continue to survey and secure the targeted area to ensure effective containment and control of the situation.

The ministry said it is closely monitoring developments and taking all necessary measures to guarantee the safety of citizens and residents.

It said that several civilians were injured in the Israeli attacks and were hospitalized to receive medical attention.

Israel’s military earlier confirmed that it conducted a “precise strike” on senior Hamas leadership, without specifying the Qatari capital.

Hamas, for its part, said that five members were killed in the Israeli attack, but said that its negotiating delegation had survived the strike.

Blatant violation

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli strike, calling it a “blatant violation of international law.”

Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, have been mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a potential prisoner swap and ceasefire deal.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Wednesday for an Arab, Islamic and international action following an Israeli airstrike on Doha, pledging full support for Qatar.

“We will stand with the State of Qatar in all measures it takes, without limits, and we will harness all our capabilities for that,” bin Salman said in an address to the Shura Council.

He strongly condemned the Israeli attack that targeted Hamas leadership in Doha on Tuesday, killing five group members.

“We reject and condemn the attacks of the Israeli occupation in the region, the latest of which was the brutal aggression against the State of Qatar,” the crown prince said.

“This requires Arab, Islamic, and international action to confront this aggression and to take international measures to stop the occupation authority and deter it from its criminal practices aimed at destabilizing the region’s security and stability.”

Bin Salman reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s long-standing support for Palestinian rights.

“The Arab Peace Initiative is an unprecedented path to establish the Palestinian state,” he said, referring to a 2002 blueprint that offers Israel diplomatic recognition in exchange for withdrawal from all Arab lands occupied in 1967.

“The land of Gaza is an inalienable Palestinian right that can’t be taken away by aggression or nullified by threats,” he stressed.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has barred Israeli defense firms from participating in a defense conference set to be held in Dubai next month, Israeli media said on Wednesday.

UAE

According to the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Israel’s Defense Ministry was notified that companies would not be permitted to attend the event, with the decision also communicated directly to industry executives.

While official explanations cited security concerns, senior Israeli officials claimed the move was in response to Tuesday’s Israeli strike targeting Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital, Doha.

There has been no official announcement from the UAE regarding the reported ban.

This was reported however, just after UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Doha for a “fraternal visit” on Wednesday, and a day after the Israeli airstrike on the Qatari capital.

The Emirati state news agency WAM said bin Zayed was personally welcomed by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the airport.

The Israeli airstrike has drawn a wave of condemnations as a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law.

Sheikh Mohamed denounced the Israeli attack as “a violation of the sovereignty of sisterly Qatar and all international laws and norms,” and affirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with Qatar during a phone call with Sheikh Tamim according to the Anadolu news agency that reported on the Israeli strike on Qatar.

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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Hiding The Evidence: Israel Removes Mass Debris Via 100 Trucks Daily

Euromed stated that Israel is seeking to hide the evidence of genocide in Gaza Strip by removing the rubble and wreckage of destroyed buildings and the remains of missing persons underneath them through transport via 100 trucks daily.

In a press statement reported by the Sanad News Agency, Monday, the European-Mediternean human rights organization explained that the Israeli occupation is unilaterally carrying out a systematic operation to remove the rubble in areas under its military control and is transport it out of the Gaza Strip to obliterate evidence the criminal evidence it carried out in Gaza since 7 October, 2023.

Euromed,  officially named he Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, has indicated that initial estimates suggest Israel wants to remove about 10 million tons of rubble in the so-called Yellow Line areas which is under Israeli military control.

Euromed emphasized that its estimates that are 400 Israeli vehicles involved the removal of the rubble, besides the 100 trucks who are transporting the debris to unknown locations inside Israel.

It pointed out that the rubble that is being removed and transported focuses on sites where murders have taken places and where mass graves exist. It warned that “removing it separates physical evidence from its spatial context.”

Euromed added: The remains of some 8,500 missing persons are being crushed and mixed with rubble due to the use of crushers without forensic investigation. Meanwhile, the removed rubble contains property and essential building materials, and removing it without compensating its owners constitutes confiscation and looting, which is prohibited under international law.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called on the international community to intervene urgently, halt the rubble removal, and send international investigation teams to inspect and document the sites of destruction.

The amount of rubble and debris accumulated in the Gaza Strip by the first half of 2026 is estimated at approximately 60 million tons (other UN estimates put the figure at 68 million tons), following the complete or partial destruction of more than 80% of buildings and infrastructure.

Official statistics issued by the Government Media Office in Gaza indicate that more than 80% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged, while the area is covered by approximately 60 to 70 million tons of rubble.

See Full Report Below:

The Israeli forces, along with Israeli civilian contractors, are conducting a wide and organised operation to process and clear the rubble from neighbourhoods and facilities they have destroyed in the Gaza Strip and relocate it from areas under their military control to outside the Strip.

This is occurring without any official record of the quantities removed or independent oversight, and before international and local investigative committees have had the chance to survey, examine, and document the sites. This risks destroying crucial evidence of genocide and the remains of victims still unaccounted for under the rubble.

These operations are not part of organised humanitarian efforts to rescue the missing, open roads, or prepare for reconstruction. Instead, Israel is acting unilaterally within closed areas under its military control by demolishing remaining buildings and then crushing, mixing, and transporting the rubble before forensic teams, evidence experts, and unexploded ordnance specialists can examine, document, and preserve the sites, along with the evidence and human remains.

The Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, published jointly by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the European Union in April 2026, estimated that approximately 68 million tonnes of rubble are spread across the Gaza Strip, based on damage reports up to October 2025. This figure does not necessarily account for damage caused by later demolition and destruction operations.

According to its initial field data, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimates that at least 10 million tonnes of rubble have been removed, crushed, or moved from their original sites within the areas under Israel’s unlawful military control, which encompass about 66 per cent of the Gaza Strip.

Approximately 400 heavy pieces of excavation, demolition, crushing, and transport machinery, operated by Israeli civilian companies under military protection, are active across eastern and southern Gaza. They demolish remaining structures, crush rubble from destroyed neighbourhoods, and load the debris onto trucks for transportation away from the original sites.

In recent weeks, Euro-Med Monitor tracked nearly 100 Israeli trucks daily leaving the Gaza Strip with debris. These trucks carry rubble to undisclosed sites within Israel and further south of the occupied West Bank. The Israeli authorities have not provided details on the quantities removed, the routes taken, the destination sites, or how the material is utilised. They also have not permitted independent oversight of the sorting, weighing, or transport processes. This lack of transparency makes it very difficult to trace the transported material, identify evidence, or recover any human remains that might be present.

The systematic removal of rubble at this pace conceals the evidence of appalling crimes Israel committed in Gaza, especially those related to genocide, such as summary executions and killing unarmed civilians. These sites need careful examination and thorough criminal investigation before any intervention that might change or erase their features.

The debris scattered throughout the Gaza Strip includes possible locations of unlawful killings and bombings that targeted entire families, as well as sites believed to contain mass graves or bodies buried within destroyed homes, hospitals, shelters, and civilian facilities.

These sites hold evidence critical for identifying the weapon, attack sequence, victim and attacker positions, firing ranges, cause and manner of death, as well as fragments, projectiles, spent cartridges, biological traces, and personal belongings.

Crushing, mixing, and transporting rubble can erase evidence, location details, and connections within the crime scene. This process also disrupts the chain of custody, potentially making it impossible to trace where evidence was collected or to link it to a particular incident or victim. This damage cannot be reversed by aerial photographs or subsequent testimony, as investigating international crimes also requires tangible evidence that can be examined, compared, and legally verified.

These operations pose a direct risk to the remains of thousands of missing persons, estimated by Gaza’s Civil Defence to be around 8,500 in July 2026. Using crushers and heavy machinery without prior forensic and humanitarian surveys could crush or scatter the remains, mix them with rubble, and separate them from belongings and documents vital for victim identification. This process may also lead to transporting the remains to unknown locations that may become impossible to access later.

This conduct infringes on the families’ right to know the fate of their missing relatives and to recover and bury their remains with dignity. It also contradicts international standards that call for searching for the deceased, collecting and safeguarding information about them, and ensuring proper identification and recording. Additionally, removing sites before investigation breaches the guidelines outlined in the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death. This protocol emphasises securing and documenting the scene, gathering evidence while preserving its chain of custody, and recovering and examining remains with scientific methods that uphold the victims’ dignity and their family’s rights.

The debris in the Gaza Strip comprises more than just rubble; it includes private and public property, essential building materials like steel, stone, and concrete that can be recycled and reused, as well as other valuable assets necessary for Palestinians to reconstruct their homes, roads, and infrastructure. It may also contain property documents, official records, and personal belongings that are part of individuals’ and families’ rights and memories.

Removing rubble from the Gaza Strip and commercially exploiting it without the owners’ consent or compensation may, depending on the circumstances and intent of the seizure, constitute unlawful confiscation or pillage. Such acts are prohibited under international humanitarian law, especially Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the relevant provisions of the Rome Statute.

These actions are part of a broader pattern that has involved bulldozing sites believed to contain mass graves, storming and damaging hospitals and medical facilities after they were suspected of being sites of grave crimes, ongoing demolition of buildings in military-controlled zones, and targeting Palestinian journalists. Additionally, international investigators and independent media have been prevented from accessing the most heavily destroyed areas.

This deliberate removal of evidence occurs when the International Criminal Court (ICC) is still investigating crimes in Palestine, alongside other cases under universal jurisdiction in national courts. Destroying crime scenes before investigations are finished hampers legal accountability and complicates efforts by international investigators and prosecutors to establish facts, as vital evidence may be lost once removed from the Gaza Strip.

Moreover, Article 70(1)(c) of the Rome Statute considers “destroying, tampering with or interfering with the collection of evidence” as criminal acts that hinder the ICC’s justice mission when done deliberately. The ICC Prosecutor should investigate these actions as deliberate interference with evidence collection related to the ongoing investigation into the Situation in the State of Palestine, which also includes unlawful destruction, seizure, or pillage of property.

The large-scale crushing and removal of rubble not only destroys evidence but also erases land boundaries, house foundations, street networks, and neighbourhood features. This process strips Palestinians of the physical markers of ownership and their connection to the land, making it more difficult for them to return and rebuild their communities as they once were.

Transforming forcibly depopulated Palestinian towns and neighbourhoods into levelled, open spaces under Israeli control is a concrete act that deepens the displacement and ethnic cleansing. This process is inseparable from Israeli settler colonialism, which involves uprooting Palestinians, erasing signs of their presence, and redefining the land without them. This sets the stage for Israel’s efforts to re-establish settlements in Gaza and displace Palestinian residents, advancing a new phase of colonisation and the ongoing denial of land and the right of return.

The international community, including the Security Council, the UN General Assembly, and states parties to the Rome Statute, must urgently intervene to halt the systematic removal and transport of rubble from the Gaza Strip. They should also advocate for independent international forensic and criminal investigation teams to be granted access to assess and document the destruction sites before any further removal or transport occurs, ensuring that physical evidence is preserved to hold those responsible for genocide accountable.

Euro-Med Monitor urges the international community to push Israel to immediately and fully stop all rubble removal and transport activities. This includes requiring detailed disclosures of transported materials, weighing logs, truck routes, ultimate destinations, company and contractor names, beneficiary parties, payment information, machinery and truck registration numbers, and tracking data, as well as transparency regarding any sale, recycling, or commercial use of materials extracted from Gaza.

Furthermore, removing rubble or recyclable materials from the Gaza Strip should be prohibited until a transparent Palestinian and international system for managing these materials is put in place. This system should ensure that any unlawfully transported materials are either returned or their full value is compensated to the owners. Additionally, rubble suitable for reuse should be allocated to local reconstruction projects that benefit the Palestinian population and protect individual and public property rights.

States where the implicated companies or machinery manufacturers are based should mandate a halt to any actions that could lead to property demolition, evidence removal, or rubble seizure. They must also preserve all relevant contracts, correspondence, and operational data, and carry out independent investigations into the accountability of their directors and staff. Euro-Med Monitor urges targeted measures against individuals and companies found to have known about and taken part in these illegal activities, such as exclusion from public contracts, freezing assets, and criminal prosecution.

Any efforts to remove rubble or rebuild in the Gaza Strip must be led by Palestinians, involving local residents, property owners, and families of the missing. These initiatives should ensure the protection of evidence, recovery of remains, clearance of unexploded ordnance, sorting of hazardous materials, local reuse of rubble, preservation of property maps and urban fabric, and prevent reconstruction from being used to cement control or alter the enclave’s geographic or demographic makeup.

Euro-Med Monitor affirms that a ceasefire or political agreements do not erase crimes or their evidence. Reconstruction and rubble removal should happen alongside preserving evidence, discovering the fate of the missing, recovering property, holding perpetrators accountable, and ensuring victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparation.

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Israeli Bullet Rips a Child’s Hand in a Gaza Classroom

CROSSFIREARABIA – A bulled fired by an Israeli soldier pierced through the hand of a pupil in-the-sixth grade and lodged into his wrist. The incident occurred on Monday while the pupil was sitting in class in school in Gaza City according to the Education Ministry. It said the boys name was Khaled Al Ashram from Al Sawafir School in the west of Gaza City. “The bulled pierced the small hand of the child while he was sitting at a school desk holding his open,” a Ministry statement emphasized. In its statement the Ministry included a photo showing the hand of the child pierced by the bullet and covered in blood according to Anadolu.

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