Defense Minister Israel Katz (right) and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir (Photo: Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Israeli Defense Minister defends Doha airstrike targeting senior Hamas leaders, says Israel will work to eliminate those responsible for the October 7 invasion “in every location,” warns Hamas that if they refuse to surrender, “they will be destroyed and Gaza devastated.”
By World Israel News Staff
Israel’s defense minister on Wednesday defended the IDF airstrike on a Hamas gathering in Doha, Qatar, a day earlier, vowing that Israel will work to bring to justice all Hamas terrorists responsible for the October 7, 2023, invasion regardless of where they hide.
On Tuesday afternoon, Israeli warplanes bombed a meeting of Hamas’ politburo that brought together all of the terror group’s senior leadership in exile.
The attack, the first of its kind on Qatari territory, drew widespread international criticism, with condemnations issued by Arab states and Western powers including Germany, Britain, France, and Canada.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, however, justified the bombing, adding that Israel will target Hamas terrorists wherever they operate.
“Israel’s security policy is clear — Israel’s long arm will strike its enemies everywhere,” Katz said in a statement. “There is no place where they can hide.”
“Anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre will be held fully accountable. Anyone who engages in terror against Israel will be struck,” he declared.
Turning to the deadlocked ceasefire talks and Israel’s operation in Gaza City, Katz warned that should Hamas refuse to disarm, the group would be “destroyed” and Gaza “ruined.”
“If the murderers and rapists of Hamas do not accept Israel’s terms for ending the war — first and foremost the release of all hostages and the disarmament of their weapons — they will be destroyed, and Gaza will be ruined.”
It remains unclear what impact the Israeli strike in Doha had, with unnamed Israeli security officials telling multiple Israeli media outlets Tuesday night and Wednesday about the growing pessimism in the intel community regarding the losses inflicted on Hamas.
The terror group claimed Tuesday evening that six people were killed in the attack, including the son of a senior Hamas politburo member, his office director, and three bodyguards.
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