Key Points
- Australia has condemned Israel's airstrikes against Hamas leaders in Qatar's capital Doha.
- The Israeli strike killed five Hamas members including a senior leader's son, Israel said.
- World leaders say the attacks seriously undermine ceasefire efforts in the Middle East.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has condemned Israel's airstrikes targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar, saying they will "obviously make it harder" to reach a peace deal and they risk further escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Israeli officials told reporters the strike on a Hamas compound in the Qatari capital Doha was aimed at Hamas leaders including negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, but Hamas said its senior leaders had survived.
The attack killed five members of Hamas, including al-Hayya's son, and a Qatari security officer, Hamas said.
The escalation has prompted the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
Negotiations to broker a peace deal between Israel and Hamas and release hostages have often taken place in the Gulf state — alongside Egypt and the United States.
Wong said these attacks in Qatar imperil those efforts.
"The Australian government believes this was the wrong thing to do. Qatar, as you know, has been one of the parties seeking an immediate ceasefire. It has been working with the United States on the return of hostages," she told ABC News Breakfast on Wednesday.
"This is a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty. It imperils that work on the ceasefire and it risks escalation."
The attacks on a Hamas compound in the Qatari capital Doha killed five members of Hamas, though the Palestinian Islamist group said its senior leaders had survived. Source: Getty / Anadolu
"We can’t end the war. What we can do is support the calls for a ceasefire and the work and the work of the United States and others to try to broker a ceasefire," she said.
Later in the day, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also criticised the strikes, saying the attack violated Qatar's sovereignty and risked derailing ceasefire negotiations.
"I want to see peace in that region, I do not want to see an escalation," he added.
US President Donald Trump also condemned Israel's strikes in a rare rebuke against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and insisted he played no role in the attack.
"This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.
"I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack," he said, though adding that eliminating Hamas was still a "worthy goal".
Trump agreed that the attacks damaged ceasefire efforts.
"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."
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Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar reserved "the right to respond to this blatant attack", calling the strike a "pivotal moment" for the region.
But he added: "Nothing will deter us from continuing this (mediation) role for all the different issues around us in the region."
'War must not be allowed to spread'
The UK, France and Germany have also condemned Israel's air strikes on Doha.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on X they were "unacceptable regardless of motive" and added that "the war must not be allowed to spread in the region".
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the attack risked "further escalation" in the volatile region.
"I condemn Israel's strikes on Doha ... The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza," he posted on X.
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres also condemned the attack.
Responding to the condemnation from France and Britain, Netanyahu accused the critics of forgetting Hamas's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.
"Much of the world, including much of the democratic world, or governments at least, have shamefully, shamefully forgotten October 7th," he said at a US embassy function in Jerusalem.
"But I don't forget, and Israel will never forget."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused critics of Israel's attack on Doha of forgetting Hamas's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023. Source: SIPA USA / Sergei Guneyev
The United Arab Emirates called the Israeli attack on Doha "blatant and cowardly", while regional power Saudi Arabia denounced what it called a "brutal Israeli aggression" against Qatar's sovereignty.
It is not the first time Qatar has been caught in the crossfire of the turmoil in the Middle East.
Iran fired missiles at the US Al Udeid airbase in June in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
