The international community reacts to the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar: from condemnation to accusations of violation of sovereignty.

In an unprecedented operation in recent years, Israel launched an attack on Qatari territory, specifically on its capital, Doha, with the aim of decimating what it claims are Hamas leaders in that country. However, according to Qatar and sources from the Islamist group, the bombing targeted the homes of the negotiating team working to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to a spokesperson for the Islamist movement, the members of the negotiating team survived, while images and videos of smoke trails—the result of the Israeli attack—rose several meters into the air over the Qatari capital.

Regarding the death toll, Hamas stated that "several dead" were reported, but none of them were members of the group's leadership. "The Hamas leadership survived the cowardly assassination attempt," said Suhail al-Hindi, a Hamas political leader, adding that the son of Khalil al-Hayya, the Palestinian movement's chief negotiator, was among the dead.

The offensive is part of Israel's ongoing war on the Palestinian enclave, which has left more than 64,000 dead (mostly civilians). It occurred one day after the shooting in Jerusalem recently claimed by Hamas, which left six dead and more than a dozen wounded.

According to the Israeli Army, the attack was intended to destroy senior Hamas commanders. On their X account, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and ISA (Israeli Security Agency) stated that "measures to mitigate harm to civilians" had been taken before the attack and that "precise munitions" were used to carry out the offensive.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office also confirmed Israel's responsibility for the attack: "It was a completely independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel directed it, and Israel assumes full responsibility," the office said on its Twitter account.

Tuesday's offensive sparked a variety of reactions, primarily from nations in the region, which condemned Israel; other figures such as Pope Leo XIV and organizations like the United Nations also joined in.

However, with a few exceptions, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and even the United States and Canada have so far remained silent.

Meanwhile, within Israel, several voices, both from the opposition and the most radical government supporters, have celebrated the event.

This is the case of Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who congratulated the Army for "an extraordinary operation to thwart our enemy," Lapid wrote on his X account.

Likewise, Israel's Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, both ultranationalists, welcomed the "historic" and "correct" decision to attack the Hamas leadership in Doha and warned that "terrorists" will have no immunity "anywhere in the world."

"The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of Hamas's political office in the Qatari capital, Doha," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in X.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned "the flagrant violation of Qatar's sovereignty and territorial integrity" following the attack.

"We have just learned of the Israeli attacks in Qatar, a country that has played a very positive role in achieving a ceasefire and the release of all hostages," Guterres lamented at a press conference in New York.

The UN Secretary-General said that all "parties must work to achieve a permanent ceasefire, not to destroy it."

Pope Leo XIV described the Israeli attack as "truly grave" when asked about it upon leaving Castel Gandolfo Palace before returning to the Vatican.

" There is truly grave news in these moments: the Israeli attack against some Hamas leaders in Qatar. The whole situation is very serious," the pontiff affirmed, adding that "we don't know where things are going, we have to pray."

Washington has not officially commented directly on Tuesday's attack. However, a White House official told AFP that they had been informed before the attack.

"We were informed in advance," the senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abulgeit condemned the Israeli attack, denouncing it as "a flagrant and completely unacceptable violation" of the country's sovereignty.

The secretary's official spokesman, Jamal Rushdi, indicated that the Arab League, which represents 22 Arab countries, stands in solidarity with the Qatari emirate and with "any measures" the country adopts to protect "its sovereignty and safeguard its security."

"Israeli conduct has constituted a violation of all established international norms and principles of international law, placing a firm responsibility on the international community to deal with this state, which flouts the law and cares nothing for the consequences of its shameful actions," the organization's statement stated.

The Arab League is composed of the following countries : Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen and Djibouti.

"The Zionist aggression in Qatar and the Zionist enemy's blatant declaration regarding it, which violates the sovereignty of a sovereign state, is a warning sign for all Arab and Islamic countries. Be alert before it's too late," Mahdi al-Mashat, the head of the insurgents' Supreme Political Council, warned the Houthi-led Yemeni news agency, Saba.

"This is an extremely dangerous and criminal act; a flagrant violation of all international laws and regulations, a violation of Qatar's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as an attack on Palestinian negotiators," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said, IRNA reported.

The diplomat stated that this attack is "a warning of the dangers arising from the persistent inaction and indifference of the world community in the face of the aggressions and violations of the law committed by the Zionist regime in occupied Palestine and in the West Asian region."

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) government considered the attack on Qatari soil a violation of Qatar's sovereignty and a "threat to the security and stability of the region."

Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh condemned the attack in a message on X, saying it "constitutes a serious violation of international law and the sovereignty of the State of Qatar" and " represents a threat to the security and stability of the region."

With information from AFP and EFE