WP: Israel’s Qatar airstrike exposes rift with Mossad over Hamas assassination plan

Israel's recent airstrike in Qatar targeting senior Hamas leaders  launched on September 9, involved 15 Israeli fighter jets firing 10 missiles from afar, targeting Hamas officials meeting in Doha. While Israeli officials have not publicly confirmed the outcome, Hamas claims its top leaders survived, including acting leader Khalil al-Hayya. However, several aides and relatives of Hamas members, as well as a Qatari officer, were reportedly killed.

What has caught particular notice is the absence of Israel's external intelligence agency, the Mossad, from official statements. According to two Israelis familiar with the matter, Mossad Director David Barnea had rejected a ground operation to assassinate Hamas leaders in Qatar — a plan initially developed by the agency itself, Caliber.Az reports via Washington Post.  

Barnea reportedly opposed the move due to concerns it would jeopardise Mossad’s longstanding intelligence ties with Qatar, which has played a central role in ceasefire negotiations and hostage mediation since the Gaza war began.

“Barnea was known as someone who thought the Qatari mediation had value, and you don’t burn the Qatari mediators or the mediation channel,” said David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.

This position was echoed within the broader Israeli security leadership. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir also opposed the operation, fearing it could derail ongoing negotiations. In contrast, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Defense Minister Israel Katz supported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to proceed.

The strike came just as Hamas leaders were reportedly considering a new ceasefire proposal brokered by the US, with President Donald Trump playing a direct role.

“If this is the case, Netanyahu may have viewed the negotiating track as an unhelpful constraint on taking action on the ground,” Makovsky added.

Critics have questioned Netanyahu’s timing.

“We can get them in one, two, or four years from now, and the Mossad knows how to do it,” said one Israeli familiar with the agency’s position. “Why do it now?”

The fallout has been swift. Qatar condemned the airstrike as “state terrorism” and a betrayal of the mediation process. Speaking to the UN Security Council, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, “We will continue our diplomatic role without hesitation to stop the bloodshed. … We cannot succumb to extremists.”

Netanyahu, in turn, accused Qatar of harboring terrorists.

“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice,” he said. “Because if you don’t, we will.”

Despite the escalating rhetoric, analysts note that Israel and Qatar have a complex and longstanding relationship. Qatar has hosted Hamas leaders since 2012 with tacit approval from both Israel and the US, and even funneled humanitarian funds into Gaza with Israeli coordination. Under former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, the agency even opened an office in Doha to manage ties.

“The same person who asked Qatar to host Hamas, to fund Hamas, and to mediate with Hamas has suddenly become hostile to the same regime,” said Nimrod Novik, a former Israeli official. He suggested the strike may also serve Netanyahu’s domestic political goals, distancing himself from aides under investigation for alleged Qatari links.

For now, the airstrike has complicated the already fragile ceasefire efforts and raised new questions about Israel’s strategy. Though Netanyahu has cited security threats and the unique opportunity of having Hamas leaders gathered in one location, the long-term diplomatic cost remains uncertain.

By Sabina Mammadli