Key Points and Summary – Israel Attack: The brazen September 9th Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, is framed as a potential strategic turning point for the Middle East.
-The attack shatters the decades-long “safe haven” Hamas enjoyed in allied nations, from which it orchestrated violence without consequence.
Israel F-35I Adir Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: IAF.
-This presents an opportunity for a “strategic rethink,” potentially forcing Qatar to abandon its policy of hosting the terror group and opening a new door for peace in Gaza.
-Israel’s willingness to break regional taboos signals a new, more aggressive security posture.
Israel Reaches Out and Hits Hamas in Qatar
On September 9, Israel carried out a strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar. The brazen daylight attack took place in Doha, the capital of a major non-NATO ally. The attack came after more than 700 days of war in Gaza, a war that began with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The war has led to the deaths of more than 900 soldiers, four of them killed on September 8.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 64,000 people have been killed in Gaza. The strike on Qatar could lead to a new era in the Middle East if Doha, Jerusalem, Washington, and others seize the opportunity.
The White House has said in the wake of the raid that this could open the door for peace. To do that will mean addressing the future of Hamas’s role and the war in Gaza.
Far-Reaching Conflict
This has been a devastating and unprecedented war. Israel has fought on multiple fronts, defeating Hezbollah in November 2024 and also clobbering Iran in a 12-day war in June. The Israeli military has also eliminated most of the Houthi rebel government in Yemen. The weakening of Hezbollah also likely led to the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria in December 2024. These important shifts have fundamentally remade the Middle East.
Regions like the Middle East undergo significant changes due to major events. For instance, the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 set off substantial changes in the region. The end of the Cold War and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait lifted a curtain on a new US-led world order. By committing troops to eject Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, the US began a multi-decade commitment to the Middle East that has led to the kind of strategic military architecture that now exists. One of the key nodes in that strategy is the US Al Udeid base in Qatar. The base is a symbol of how the US shifted forces out of Saudi Arabia after the 1991 Gulf War and moved them to the smaller Gulf States. US Central Command’s posture in the region is a result of these changes.
Allies Harboring Hamas Leaders
Israel’s attack on Hamas in Qatar was a long time coming. Hamas leaders have resided in Doha for more than a decade. Prior to moving to Doha, some of them lived in Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. They also travelled to Turkey, a NATO ally. Hamas felt secure in the region.
Instead of moderating, Hamas became emboldened. This bolster led to the October 7 attack, a devastating massacre that Hamas knew would lead to a massive war. The fact that Hamas leaders were living in Doha, a US ally, and involved in massacring 1,000 people in Israel, another US ally, in retrospect seems incredibly bizarre. However, the Taliban, which was fighting the US in Afghanistan, also had offices in Qatar for many years before returning to power.
These contradictions have been hallmarks of the last decades in the region. Osama Bin Laden emerged from countries that had close ties to the US. However, after 9/11, it became clear that the era of appeasing extremists in the Middle East must change. Many countries have cracked down on extremism as a result. Hamas is an outlier in this respect. It has not moderated because US allies hosted it; instead, it became more extreme. In fact, Israeli media reports at Ynet indicate Hamas leaders in Doha may have been making peace talks more difficult. If this is true, it is because they were not exposed to the brutal fighting in Gaza. Gaza and its two million inhabitants were only a pawn in a significant conflict for them.
Israel vs. Hamas: What Happens Now?
It’s possible that the September 9 strike on Hamas in Doha could now be seen to close a curtain on decades in which Hamas felt safe abroad and felt it could fuel wars while not suffering the consequences. What that means is that now Hamas might need to think twice about using Gaza as a pawn. Qatar might also rethink its strategy in hosting groups such as Hamas. For years, Doha invested in Gaza, helping with reconstruction and aiding the Palestinians. The Hamas attack on Israel destroyed all that investment. Perhaps a new strategy that prizes stability over conflict could change the trajectory in Gaza.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on September 9 that the US views Qatar as a strong ally and friend. At the same time, President Donald Trump wants the 48 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to be freed. The White House has hinted that it understands the problem of having Hamas in Doha. However, the US and other countries don’t want to see Doha bombed or its sovereignty violated.
This presents a contradiction. Eliminating and defeating Hamas can bring the war in Gaza to an end. The war has led to instability around the region. When it ends, it will take years to reconstruct Gaza. That means that every day the war goes on, the inevitable post-war period is also extended. Israel’s willingness to go after Hamas in Qatar shows it continues to be willing to break taboos in the region. It did the same thing by striking Iran.
For decades, the Middle East has been destabilized by groups that have hijacked the Israel-Palestinian conflict for their own ends. Chief among these groups was the network of Iranian proxies. However, Hamas also played a key role in sabotaging peace and creating cycles of destruction in Gaza through endless wars.
The Palestinian Authority, by contrast, has sought to reduce threats to Israel in the West Bank. There is a chance now for a strategic rethink regarding Hamas. Some countries saw backing Hamas as gaining leverage in the conflict. The efficacy of these decisions has now blown up in everyone’s faces in the region. Most countries want to turn a corner on the last decades of war. Syria and Lebanon are two examples of countries being freed from being hijacked as part of the war against Israel. Countries that backed Hamas have lost out. The terrorist group became a sunk cost, and it’s worthwhile for Doha and other countries to see it this way and use the September 9 airstrike as a reason to move in a new direction.
About the Author: Seth Frantzman
Seth Frantzman is the author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is a Senior Middle East Analyst for The Jerusalem Post. Seth is now a National Security Journal Contributing Editor.
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Bankotsu
September 10, 2025 at 3:12 am
lol. Now all the countries hosting U.S. bases will ALL be attacked also.
Being U.S. running dog is no fun. Look at Qatar. Look at Ukraine.
lol.
This is the fate of a running dog.
Jim
September 10, 2025 at 12:22 pm
International Law dictates negotiators in the very process of negotiation (or about to engage in negotiations) can’t be attacked and, in fact, were there in Qatar explicitly by invitation of President Trump and, of course, Israeli negotiators were in Qatar, too. (Reports suggest Trump gave a green light for the attack.)
So, the proof is evident: Israel and Trump can’t be trusted to engage in good faith negotiations.
This is the third time the Israelis have attacked negotiators during the midst of negotiations and each time the Trump administration was complicitous in the attack. Hezbollah’s leadership was gathered to consider a “cease fire proposal” from Israel, sponsored by the United States, when their bunker was destroyed and all were killed in an Israeli attack.
The Iran negotiations before the 12-Day War were nothing, but sham negotiations designed to lure Iran into letting down their guard and then Israel launched a decapitation strike with mixed results against Iran’s leadership again with Trump complicity.
(Israel suffered significant damage from pinpoint strikes on various economic and military targets from hypersonic missiles which Israel could not stop, to the point reports suggest Netanyahu was forced to accept a cease fire to stop the attacks.)
Israel is more isolated from the Community of Nations than ever before.
Is that a good thing? Some think it doesn’t matter as long as Israel has U. S. backing and support. But is it good for Israel that every nation on Earth sans the U. S. thinks its a rogue state beyond the pale of civilized conduct… simply savage.
An Assassin Cult of the 21st Century in the Middle East.
And, the U. S. via the Trump administration uses gangster tactics on the world state to accomplish its objectives.
This is dangerous for the United States. This isn’t Peace through Strength, but duplicity at the highest levels of statecraft.
Those rubbing their hands in satisfaction at the deed, better be careful it doesn’t boomerang back on Israel or the United States.
Eventually, the Assassin Cult of the 11th Century in the Middle East was crushed as every country in the region was sick of their tactics (various modes of assassination) so put aside their differences and joined in a coalition to crush the Assassin Cult and it was destroyed… never to rise again.
As an American, I’m ashamed the United States was complicit it this kind of conduct.
And, in U. S. domestic politics support for Israel has dropped from roughly 80% to around 50%… too much lower and Congressman & Senators won’t be afraid to cross Israel… it might even be a political death sentence to support Israel in the Congress.
Should Israel be cut-off from United States financial & military support, it would be a bleak prospect for Israel going into the future.
Who will believe the United States engages in good faith negotiations?
While trust is low in international affairs, generally, to make international agreements takes a threshold level of trust for the process to work and the terms to be respected and carried out.
Israel and the United States have thrown all trust around the World in the garbage can.
Israel can take its chances, but I object to rogue tactics being employed in my name as a citizen of the United States by a rogue administration bent on Israel First policies, not America First.
It’s wrong and a betrayal to the American People.