As Israel marked 700 days of the hostages being held earlier this week, the IDF struck Hamas leaders in Qatar, and a devastating terror attack took place in Jerusalem.

Attack on Hamas in Qatar

  • On Tuesday, Israel launched a surprise airstrike targeting Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar. Israel has never previously attacked targets in the Gulf state, which is a U.S. ally and host of the region’s largest American military base.
  • The strike aimed to eliminate senior Hamas figures, including Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, Khaled Mashal, and other leaders, who were reportedly meeting to discuss a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal.
  • Details are still unclear, but some reports suggest that six people were killed, including five Hamas members and one Qatari security officer. Hamas claims its top leadership survived, but none have been seen in public since the strike.
  • The operation, which was publicly acknowledged by the IDF, involved 15 Israeli fighter jets and 10 precision munitions. Satellite imagery confirmed damage to five buildings within the compound.
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared the October 7 Hamas attack to 9/11, stating Israel acted as the U.S. did post-9/11, and warned other nations against harboring terrorists. In his remarks, he stated, “And I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.” Netanyahu also confirmed that the US had been given advance notice of the attack.
  • The Trump administration expressed its disapproval of the attack, stating the strike did not advance either US or Israeli interests. President Trump assured Qatar that such an attack would not happen again.
  • Qatar condemned the strike as a “cowardly” and a “criminal assault,” asserting it was not warned despite U.S. claims to the contrary. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Iran, and others denounced the attack as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law, as did numerous Western and other nations.
  • In response, several Israeli journalists stated that the nations should not be asking why Israel bombed terrorist leaders in Qatar, but rather, what those leaders were doing in Qatar in the first place. In response to claims that Israel violated the sovereignty of another nation, many pointed to the US operation that killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and similar attacks by French forces in recent years.
  • The attack occurred during active ceasefire negotiations, and Qatar announced that it was suspending those talks in response to Israel’s strike.
  • Cairo now appears poised to take up the mediation role in Gaza negotiations after Qatar stepped back, according to Egyptian sources.

Terror Attack in Jerusalem

  • On Monday morning, two Palestinian gunmen carried out a mass shooting at a crowded bus stop at Ramot Junction in northern Jerusalem.
  • The attackers, identified as Mohammad Taha (21) from Qatanna and Muthanna Amro (20) from Qubeiba, both West Bank villages, arrived by car and opened fire with improvised Carlo-style submachine guns. They targeted commuters waiting at the bus stop as well as a bus that was pulling in, creating panic and significant casualties in seconds.
  • Six people were killed in the attack, while some 20 others were injured, including several who remain in serious condition.
  • The attackers were shot dead on the scene by an off-duty ultra-Orthodox soldier from the new Hashmonaim Brigade and by armed civilians who intervened quickly.
  • In dashcam footage that caught the moments of the shooting, people can be seen fleeing while gunshots are heard in the background. The footage being widely shared also depicts a taxi driver calmly exiting his vehicle, opening the passenger door, and helping escort his elderly female passenger away from danger. Close examination of the video shows (at 30 seconds) a bullet hitting the bus window right above the driver’s head.
  • The victims killed were Levi Yitzhak Pash (57), Yaakov Pinto, a new immigrant from Spain (25), Yisrael Matzner (28), Rabbi Yosef David (43), American-Israeli cardiologist Rabbi Mordechai “Mark” Steintzag (79), and Sarah “Sarita” Mendelson (60).
  • It was one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jerusalem in years, highlighting growing unrest in the West Bank. Following the incident, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said, “What we are seeing is absolute evil. And in the face of absolute evil, we must continue to fight with all our strength. Israel is a strong country. Am Yisrael Chai!”

Fighting and Ceasefire Negotiations

  • On the same day as the Jerusalem terror attack, four IDF soldiers were killed in Gaza.
  • The IDF has ordered all civilians to evacuate Gaza City for the first time, marking a shift from localized warnings to a full-scale directive. The IDF Arabic spokesperson warned that remaining in the city is “extremely dangerous” and that the military will operate there “with great force.”
  • Significantly, a phone number was provided for Gazans to report Hamas roadblocks or interference, indicating Israel’s intent to facilitate evacuation and undermine Hamas control.
  • The evacuation order is likely in preparation for a major IDF ground incursion, with up to five divisions potentially involved. Netanyahu stated that capturing Gaza City would pressure Hamas to release hostages and lead to its collapse.
  • In recent days, the IDF has destroyed multiple high-rise towers in Gaza City, asserting Hamas used them for intelligence operations, observation posts, and underground infrastructure. The military says that prior evacuation warnings and precision strikes were employed to limit civilian harm.
  • President Trump has proposed a new ceasefire deal that includes the release of all 48 hostages on the very first day of the halt in combat.
  • Under the deal, Israel would release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds serving sentences for the murder of Israelis.
  • During the 60-day ceasefire, negotiations would take place “under President Trump’s personal supervision,” which would cover the IDF withdrawal, future governance in Gaza, and Hamas disarmament.
  • Israel has formally accepted the proposal, while Hamas rejected the demand to release all hostages at once, calling it a “humiliating surrender” and comparing it to Japan’s WWII capitulation.

Houthis in Yemen

  • The Houthis have continued to fire ballistic missiles, as well as UAV attack drones, at Israel.
  • While the missiles trigger sirens in large parts of Israel, sending millions running to the shelters, they are typically intercepted.
  • Earlier this week, one UAV managed to avoid interception and hit Israel’s second international airport, Ramon, near Eilat. The drone caused damage and minor injuries; it also temporarily caused the suspension of flights when it struck the airport’s arrivals pavilion.
  • In response, Israel has struck significant targets in Yemen, identified with the Houthi rebel regime.

Other Important News

  • Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian–Israeli citizen who was abducted in Iraq in March 2023 while doing academic research and has been held hostage ever since, was freed this week, returning to Israel last night. Her release was the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations between various parties, including Israel and the United States.
  • Hamas released a new video of hostages Guy Gilboa Dallal and Alon Ohel, both abducted from the Nova festival. Ohel appears in feeble health, with his family saying he has lost sight in one eye, while Dallal looks weak and pleads for Israel to end the war, warning that he and eight others in Gaza City will be killed if the IDF enters.
  • Spain announced new “punitive measures” against Israel, including an arms embargo and bans on settlement goods, certain Israelis, and weapons transport through Spanish ports and airspace. Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez unveiled the steps, while Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused him of pursuing a hostile, anti-Israel line to distract from his own corruption scandals. In response, Israel imposed sanctions on Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz and Minister of Children and Youth Sira Rego, barring them from entering Israel.
  • The U.S. sanctioned three Palestinian NGOs—Al-Haq, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights—after they petitioned the ICC to investigate Israel for alleged war crimes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We oppose the ICC’s politicized agenda, overreach, and disregard for the sovereignty of the United States and that of our allies… the United States will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences.” Rubio also underscored that Washington had long warned countries considering recognition of a Palestinian state that such actions would trigger reciprocal measures.

Further Reading

Largest Share of Israelis Support Hostage Deal That Includes Full Withdrawal from Gaza

Is JD Vance the New Barack Obama?

The Reckoning in Doha: Why Israel’s Strike Against Hamas Was Both Justified and Overdue

Hezbollah’s Civilian Infrastructure: A Cornerstone for Military Resilience and Community Support

Confronting the Genocide Libel: A real scholar speaks to the New Yorker