Sawt Falasteen - Israel vows to strike foes anywhere after Qatar attack

Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed that "Israel's long arm will act against its enemies anywhere", following Tuesday's deadly attack on the Gulf state, which hosts a large US military base and has spearheaded repeated rounds of Gaza truce efforts.

"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," referring to Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the nearly two-year Gaza war.

Palestinian militant group Hamas said six people were killed in the strikes, including an aide and an adult son of its top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, as well as three bodyguards and a Qatari security officer.

But the group said its senior leaders had survived, affirming "the enemy's failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation".

The White House said Trump did not agree with Israel's decision to take military action and had warned Qatar in advance of the incoming strikes.

But Doha said it had not received the warning from Washington until the attack was already under way.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sought to justify the decision, telling an Israeli radio station: "We don't always act in the interests of the United States."

"It was not an attack on Qatar; it was an attack on Hamas," Danon told 103FM, adding: "It is too early to comment on the outcome, but the decision is the right one."

According to sources close to Hamas, six Hamas leaders including Hayya and former top leader Khaled Meshaal were in the targeted building at the time. AFP has been unable to reach any of them since then.

- 'Shaken conscience of world' -

Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has led multiple attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war and secure the release of the remaining hostages.

In Gaza City on Wednesday, the Israeli military destroyed another high-rise building as it intensifies its assault on the territory's largest urban centre despite mounting calls to end its campaign.

The military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had earlier issued an evacuation warning to those living in and around the Tiba 2 tower.

The military said later it had "struck a high-rise building that was used by the Hamas terrorist organisation in the area of Gaza City".

AFP images showed huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky as the residential tower in western Gaza City crashed to the ground.

Palestinians were seen searching through the rubble for any salvageable items.

The Gaza war has created catastrophic humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million, with the UN last month declaring a famine in Gaza City and its surroundings.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over the dire situation.

"What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic," she said.

Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, hit back, writing on X that Europe was sending "the wrong message that strengthens Hamas and the radical axis in the Middle East".

- 'Not thrilled' -

Following Israel's targeting of Hamas leaders in the Gulf, Qatar's prime minister said it reserved the right to respond to the attack, which it said constituted a "pivotal moment" for region.

Trump said he was not notified in advance of the Israeli strikes and was "not thrilled about the whole situation".

In a post on social media, he insisted that "this was a decision made by Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me".

"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, adding Hamas's elimination was still a "worthy goal".

Russia and China joined an international chorus of condemnation, with Moscow saying the operation undermined peace efforts in the Middle East.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,656 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST