Defence minister Katz says ‘there is no place they can hide’ after attack condemned as violation of Qatar’s sovereignty
Defence minister Katz says ‘there is no place they can hide’ after attack condemned as violation of Qatar’s sovereignty
Israel has reacted with defiance and further threats in response to international outrage at its strikes targeting a meeting of Hamas’s leaders in Qatar on Tuesday.
Amid continuing doubt over whether the missiles fired by Israeli air force planes had killed any of their primary targets, the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, warned its “long arm will act against its enemies anywhere”.
“There is no place where they can hide,” Katz wrote on X, adding: “Everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre will be held fully accountable. Anyone who carries out terror against Israel will be harmed.” The Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, told Fox News that if the strike had not killed Hamas leaders, it would succeed “next time”.
Qatar, a close US ally, has been hosting negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war, and plays a key role as an intermediary. The Hamas leaders were reported to have been meeting to discuss a new ceasefire proposal put forward by the US president, Donald Trump.
Washington described Wednesday’s strike as a unilateral attack that did not advance American and Israeli interests.
In a social media post, Trump insisted he played no role in the attack. “This was a decision made by prime minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network. He said his administration had tried to warn Qatar of the attack but were “unfortunately, too late.”
Hamas said in a statement that all of its leaders were safe, but five lower-ranked members were reportedly killed. A senior Israeli official admitted on Wednesday that optimism about the results of the strikes was waning.
