Hamas Official Breaks Silence on Israeli Attack in Qatar

September 18, 2025 | 12:34 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A senior official of Hamas spoke for the first time since the Israeli attack last week in the Qatari capital, Doha. According to the report from Al Jazeera, Ghazi Hamad described the moment of the attack and how Hamas officials managed to escape.

"We were in a meeting, the negotiating delegation and some advisers. Less than an hour after we began reviewing the American proposal that we received from the Qatari mediators, we heard loud explosions," said Ghazi Hamad.

"We immediately left the scene, because we knew from the start that the explosions were Israeli shelling. We’ve lived in Gaza and experienced Israeli shelling before," Hamad said on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

The Israeli attack in Doha killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security official while attempting to target senior Hamas leaders. The targets were involved in ceasefire negotiations and a prisoner exchange proposal submitted by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Hamad said the Israeli attack was highly intense. "The shelling was so intense, the situation was terrifying, and the rockets continued unabated. There were about 12 rockets in less than a minute, but by God’s decree … we survived this aggression," he said. The senior Hamas leaders survived the bombing.

In response to the Israeli attack, the first against Qatar, leaders of Arab and Islamic countries gathered in Doha to attend the summit. They condemned the Israeli attack, which was called cowardly.

Hamad said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to change the Middle East requires an Arab response. He also added that Hamas had a "bitter" experience during ceasefire negotiations. The U.S. does not have the credibility as an honest mediator.

"He (Trump) doesn't scare us," said Hamad, commenting on Trump's threats regarding the treatment of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza. Hamad added that the prisoners are treated according to Hamas values and are only in danger due to Israel's actions.

Israeli forces have killed more than 65,000 people since October 2023, including around 19,000 children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

On Tuesday, a United Nations investigation announced that the Israeli war in Gaza was genocide. The statement was based on findings from several human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed he had informed President Donald Trump about the attack on Doha. As reported by The Times of Israel, he called Trump 50 minutes before the attack.

Seven Israeli officials told Axios that the White House was aware of the attack last Tuesday before the missile was launched. Trump said after the attack that the U.S. was not given a meaningful warning about the Doha attack.

Editor's Choice: Arab Leaders Demand Action After Israeli Attack on Qatar

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