West Jerusalem’s airstrikes on Doha have failed to eliminate the targeted leaders of the Palestinian militant group
Israel is determined to kill Hamas leaders wherever they reside and will continue its efforts until they are all dead, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told Fox News on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Israeli airstrikes hit a residential building in Doha, Qatar, targeting senior figures of Hamas’ political wing. The group said its officials survived, while the attack has been criticized by the White House and condemned by Qatar.
“If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them the next time,” Leiter said.
The ambassador described Hamas as “enemies of Western civilization” and argued that Israel’s actions were reshaping the Middle East in ways “moderate” states understood and valued. “Right now, we may be subject to a little bit of criticism. They’ll get over it,” he said of the Arab countries.
US President Donald Trump said that while dismantling Hamas was a legitimate goal, striking a US ally undermined both American and Israeli interests.
Leiter noted that Israel had “never had a better friend in the White House” and that Washington and West Jerusalem remained united in seeking the militant group’s destruction.
Qatar, which hosts Hamas officials as part of its role as a mediator, said a Qatari security officer was among six people killed in the Israeli strike.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has denounced the attack as a “heinous crime” and an “act of aggression,” while Doha’s Foreign Ministry has accused Israel of “state terrorism.”
Israel has vowed to hunt down Hamas leaders, who it blames for the deadly October 2023 attack which was launched from Gaza into southern Israel. The ambassador vowed that those responsible “are not going to survive,” no matter where they are.
Israel’s military response has left at least 64,000 dead in Gaza, according to local authorities. Critics have accused West Jerusalem of committing genocide by rendering the blockaded enclave uninhabitable and worsening famine conditions through restrictions on food aid.
