Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Saturday, that removing Hamas leaders based in Qatar, whom Israel unsuccessfully targeted in a rare air strike on the US ally earlier this week, would eliminate the key barrier to concluding the Gaza war.
But Israel's own Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the attack was yet another example of Netanyahu sabotaging prospective peace deals.
Israel targeted the Hamas leadership in Doha through air strikes that were condemned by US ally Qatar, which has served as one of the venues for ceasefire talks.
The leaders had gathered in Doha to discuss a new ceasefire proposal put forward by US President Donald Trump's administration.
Hamas has said five of its members, including a son of its exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya, were killed in the attack, but its senior leaders and members of its negotiating team survived. Qatar has said a member of its internal security forces was also killed.
"The Hamas terrorist chiefs living in Qatar don't care about the people in Gaza. They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war," Netanyahu said in a post on X.
