Senior Qatari official miraculously survives Israeli airstrike in Doha

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, citing Qatari sources, just a few hours before the strike, a meeting between a senior Qatari official responsible for relations with Israel and top Hamas leaders had been postponed. The main topic of the meeting was a Gaza ceasefire plan.

The report states that the primary target of the Israeli operation was Hamas leaders; however, an intelligence gap meant they were in a different building at the time. Earlier reports had indicated that Hamas leaders were in a separate room.

On Tuesday, Israel launched a blatant attack on Qatari territory aiming to assassinate Hamas leaders. The strike killed some Hamas members, including the son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and several of his aides.

Qatari sources speaking to Yedioth Ahronoth emphasized that if the Qatari official—known among colleagues as “Abdullah Cohen”—had been present at the site, a deep political crisis would have erupted between Doha and Tel Aviv. He is said to be a close associate of Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani.

The Israeli terrorist action, which even Israeli media acknowledged as unsuccessful, has heightened concerns among Persian Gulf countries, particularly U.S. allies, about the escalation of regional tensions.