MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
We begin this hour with an image - a huge cloud of gray smoke rising over Doha, the capital of Qatar. The smoke was from an air strike today by Israel, targeting Hamas. Now, this is the first time Israel has launched an airstrike in Qatar. It marks a significant escalation in the war. Qatar's government is calling the attack cowardly and a blatant violation of all international laws and norms. NPR's Daniel Estrin is following this. He joins us from Tel Aviv. Hey, Daniel.
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Hi, Mary Louise.
KELLY: Hey. Fill in a few more details of what we actually have been able to confirm about this strike.
ESTRIN: The strike happened midday today in Doha, the capital of Qatar, hitting the residential compound of Hamas leaders in Qatar. Hamas' top political leaders have been based there for more than a decade. It's allowed the U.S. to maintain a kind of indirect channel of communication with Hamas. Now, Hamas says no leaders were killed in that strike. It says five lower-ranking people close to Hamas were killed, including the son of Hamas' top negotiator and some assistants to Hamas officials. And Qatar says one of its security officials was killed as well.
KELLY: Going back to a point you just made, Hamas' top political leaders have been based in Qatar for more than a decade, so why did Israel decide to do this now?
ESTRIN: Well, Israeli Army Radio is reporting this was in the works for months - a plan to target Hamas leaders. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that - he claims what triggered this was a Palestinian shooting attack in Jerusalem yesterday at a bus stop that killed six Israelis. Hamas today claimed responsibility for that attack. And this evening, Netanyahu spoke at a U.S. Embassy party for the Fourth of July. It was rescheduled from this summer because of the Israel-Iran war. And he said he authorized this strike on Hamas leaders in the same headquarters in Qatar where they were on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel.
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PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Now, they were meeting in the same place - exactly the same place - where they celebrated this savagery almost two years ago. At the beginning of the war, I promised that Israel would reach those who perpetrated this horror. And today, Israel and I have kept that promise.
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ESTRIN: Now, despite what Netanyahu says about keeping that promise, Hamas says none of its leaders were killed in the attack.
KELLY: To the setting again - Netanyahu speaking at a U.S. Embassy party in Jerusalem on the same day as these airstrikes in Qatar - I'm wondering about the timing and whether there was any U.S. involvement in this strike. Qatar, by the way, is a U.S. ally.
ESTRIN: That's right. And the White House had a very interesting reaction to this. It says it was notified of the Israeli strike as it was happening, and then it notified Qatar of the impending attack. And the White House says that a unilateral strike inside a sovereign nation and a close U.S. ally, quote, "does not advance Israel or America's goals," and that President Trump feels very badly about the location of this attack. Trump spoke to Netanyahu as well as Qatar's leaders and assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil in Qatar. The White House did say that eliminating Hamas was a worthy goal, however. But there has been condemnation from the U.N. secretary general, from the leaders of France and the U.K. and also Arab countries.
KELLY: Really interesting to hear a little bit of daylight there between the Trump White House and Israel.
ESTRIN: Yeah.
KELLY: I do want to ask about - you know, underlying all of this, of course, is the ongoing war in Gaza. What might this strike mean for the conflict in Gaza? And I guess I'm thinking specifically right now of consequences for Israel with hostages - Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
ESTRIN: I think it is early to predict how it will affect the course of the war. Israel has killed top leaders of Hamas throughout the war, and Hamas still has come to the negotiating table. This does come at a precarious time, though, Mary Louise. The U.S. had just offered a ceasefire proposal to Israel and Hamas. Now that looks unlikely to succeed. Hamas says it's holding the U.S. and Israel jointly responsible for today's strike. And there are 20 hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza. We don't know what this will mean in terms of any kind of chance for a hostage deal.
KELLY: Thank you, Daniel.
ESTRIN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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