DEVELOPING: Israel targeted senior leaders of the terrorist group Hamas today, where they had been given a safe haven inside Qatar’s capital, Doha. Israel has confirmed that it was behind the precision strike that rocked the city.
Qatar is an energy-rich U.S. ally that hosts thousands of American troops, so Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was careful to declare that the U.S. was not involved in the operation.
The Prime Minister's Office released a statement saying, "Today's action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump believes the Israeli strike was an “unfortunate incident” that didn’t advance peace in the region
PHOTO: Smoke rises from an explosion, allegedly caused by an Israeli strike, in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (UGC via AP)
Netanyahu said the decision to strike Hamas inside Qatar was made after Monday's terrorist attack in Jerusalem that killed six people, along with an attack on Israeli forces in Gaza that killed four soldiers.
The Israeli military said it used “precise munitions and additional intelligence” to carry out the operation.
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According to another Israeli statement, the Hamas leaders were also targeted for their responsibility in the Oct. 7 Attack that killed 1,200 Israelis, as well as for managing operations for the terror group in the years before that. Among the targets was Khalil al-Hayya, the leader of Hamas.
Qatar has condemned the strike, with the country's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari calling it a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.”
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EARLIER TODAY:
JERUSALEM, Israel – The United Nations General Assembly is set to open Tuesday, and on its agenda this week: a vote on recognizing a Palestinian state in biblical Judea and Samaria. Meanwhile, Israel is still recovering from a Jerusalem terror attack, and dozens of high-rise buildings in Gaza City have been leveled.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the wounded from Monday's terror attack. Six people were murdered and more than a dozen others were wounded when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a bus at a crowded bus stop.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "a difficult day" in Israel's war on terror.
"The fact that we eliminated these two terrorists is not enough," he stated. "The fact that we go after the supporters and aides, that is not enough either. My instruction is to go strongly against the nests of terror."
Netanyahu added, "We have already eliminated nests of terror in refugee camps, in three. We simply evacuated the population from there and flattened all the terror infrastructure, and my instruction is to do the same in other nests of terror."
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack, according to U.N. Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, who announced, "He conveys his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a full and speedy recovery to those who were wounded."
European leaders also condemned the Jerusalem shootings and called for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
European Union Spokesman Anouar El Anouni called for de-escalation and said the attack "shows how necessary a ceasefire (in Gaza) is."
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Netanyahu indicated Israel would continue to fight Hamas.
"I promised you a few days ago that we would bring down the terror towers in Gaza; that's exactly what we're doing," he observed. "In the last two days, 50 such towers have fallen; the Air Force has taken them down."
Overnight, the Israel Defense Forces exploded another Gaza high-rise, which it said established the military infrastructure to carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops in the area, and beneath the building, Hamas maintained a site used as a gathering point for terrorists.
On Monday, four Israeli soldiers were killed in an assault on their tank.
The prime minister claimed that bringing down the buildings was "just a prelude" to the main ground operation, and he advised Gazans to flee.
"And so I say to the residents of Gaza, I'm taking advantage of this opportunity, and listen to me carefully: You've been warned, get out of there."
The IDF on Tuesday issued its largest evacuation order yet to the people of Gaza City, a sign that the anticipated ground invasion may be imminent.
In London, the British government affirmed that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza. The new ruling differs from the government's previous position, which said that only the courts could make that determination.
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