Netanyahu compares Israel’s strike in Doha to US response after 9/11, cites terrorism threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Israel’s airstrike targeting Hamas officials in Doha by invoking the US response to the 9/11 attacks, saying the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel was “Israel’s 9/11 moment.”

The strike was carried out in Qatar’s capital as senior Hamas political figures reportedly met to consider a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal.

Netanyahu accused Qatar of providing safe haven and financing for Hamas, and warned that countries harboring terrorists must either expel them or face consequences.

President Donald Trump, while expressing support for targeting Hamas, called the location of the strike — inside a US-ally country — problematic. He said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the Israeli strike and that the method was not acceptable.

Qatar strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly” violation of international law and sovereignty. The Qatari Prime Minister asserted that the strike undermined ongoing mediation efforts with Israel and Hamas.

In Jerusalem, the attack has provoked diplomatic backlash from Gulf Arab states and the European Union, all of which have voiced alarm over the breach of Qatari territory and the potential consequences for peace negotiations.

The operation resulted in at least six deaths — including lower-level Hamas members and a Qatari security official — though Hamas claims that its senior leadership survived.