Qatar searches for missing after Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Doha

Qatari authorities say the search is ongoing for two missing people and for identifying human remains following Tuesday’s Israeli strike in Doha that targeted senior Hamas leaders.

The attack, which struck residential premises in northern Doha housing Hamas’s political bureau members, has sparked regional anger and raised doubts about its effectiveness.

The Qatari interior ministry confirmed on Wednesday evening that the bodies of Humam al-Hayya, the son of Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, his office director Jihad Labad, bodyguards Moamen Hassouna and Abdullah Abdul Wahid, and Qatari security officer Corporal Badr al-Humaidi had been identified.

Officials added that specialised teams were still working to identify two missing people and that human remains had been recovered from several sites.

Hamas said five of its members were killed in what it called a “heinous crime”, naming them as Humam al-Hayya, Labad, Hassouna, Abdul Wahid and Ahmed al-Mamluk.

The group declared that Israel had failed in its attempt to assassinate its negotiating delegation, though it gave no evidence. The whereabouts of Khalil al-Hayya remain unclear, and he has not appeared publicly since the strike.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani told CNN that “until now... there is no official declaration” on Khalil al-Hayya’s fate. He condemned the Israeli action as “state terror” and warned that it risked destroying any chance for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

“I fear that this strike has just killed any hope for the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza,” he said, recalling a meeting earlier with a hostage family who were “counting on this mediation”.

Israel described the operation, codenamed “Summit of Fire,” as necessary to target “terrorist masterminds” behind the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack that left about 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, “I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists: you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.” He added that the strike could “open the door to an end of the war”, saying Israel had accepted the latest US ceasefire proposal.

But Sheikh Mohammed fired back, insisting it was Netanyahu who “needs to be brought to justice”, citing the International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued last year against him and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The strike has also unsettled Israel’s allies. US President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the incident, calling it a unilateral act inside a sovereign state and close US ally.

“Eliminating Hamas is a worthy goal,” he wrote on Truth Social, but added that bombing Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”. Trump said the US military had notified him of the attack, and he instructed envoy Steve Witkoff to alert Doha, but the message reached “too late”. Sheikh Mohammed confirmed that Qatar received a US call “10 minutes after the attack”.

Qatar, a key US ally and host to a major American air base, has been central in mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel since 2012, alongside Egypt and Washington. Sheikh Mohammed said his government was “reassessing everything” regarding Hamas’s office in Doha and holding “a very detailed conversation” with the US about the way forward.

Arab leaders have rallied behind Qatar. UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan travelled to Doha on Wednesday, telling Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that Israel’s “criminal attack” endangered Middle East stability and peace prospects. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described the strike as “brutal aggression” and is expected in Doha on Thursday. Sheikh Mohammed confirmed that plans are underway for a regional summit in Qatar to agree on a collective response.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 64,656 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since October 2023.