Israel Targets Hamas Leadership In Qatar Airstrike — White House Not Happy
Israeli military officials said more than a dozen fighter jets dropped precision munitions on a building in Doha, Qatar, where senior Hamas figures were believed to be meeting.
The IDF named Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader, among those targeted. They are accused of helping plan the October 7 attacks and directing the group’s war against Israel.
Israel had reportedly been planning the attack for months, but it was only approved following Hamas’s deadly terror attack on Monday in Jerusalem that killed six people.
It’s unclear who in Hamas’s top leadership was killed in the Tuesday airstrike, but the terror group claims, without proof, that Israel failed to take out anyone on the negotiating team. They say five more junior members of the organization were killed.
President Trump denied Israeli media reports that he gave the green light for the operation.
Qatar — a close U.S. ally that has long hosted Hamas political leaders — condemned the strike as a “cowardly” and “criminal” violation of international law. The nation has been the key Arab country mediating between Israel and Hamas and had long been considered off-limits — potentially jeopardizing any ceasefire deal.
U.S. PUSHBACK
Trump said the U.S. military — not Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu — alerted his administration about a pending Israeli strike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar. He wrote on Truth Social, “I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack.”
Rewind: Qatar is one of the U.S.’s closest Middle Eastern allies and hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East. In May, the U.S. accepted a luxury Boeing 747-8 jetliner from Qatar to serve as the new Air Force One.
The White House expressed regret over the strike’s location, and Trump assured Qatari leaders "that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”
BIGGER PICTURE
Until now, Hamas’s political leadership abroad had remained largely untouched, making this one of the most dramatic escalations of the conflict yet. It could also undermine Israel’s push to build ties with Gulf Arab nations it sees as allies against Iran.
Israel has assassinated only a couple Hamas political leaders outside of Gaza in the last two years. Notably, Ismail Haniyeh was killed during a trip to Iran last year.
Since the start of the war, Netanyahu has vowed to eradicate Hamas and anyone who planned October 7.
On Monday, Hamas officials met with Qatar’s prime minister to discuss the U.S.’s newest cease-fire proposal. The day before, Trump gave the terror group a "last warning" to agree to a deal. Tuesday’s meeting in Doha appeared to be a continuation of those talks.
WHAT’S NEXT? It’s unclear what kind of impact the strike in Doha could have on ceasefire negotiations. Qatar had been mediating those talks, and will continue to do so, although Israel has accused Qatar of not putting enough pressure on Hamas.
In Israel, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it has “deep concern and great fear” after the strike.
“The prospect of their return now faces greater uncertainty than ever, with one thing absolutely certain — their time is running out.”
Young Americans are split on what it means to “make it” in life — and the divide runs sharply along gender and political lines. A new NBC News poll shows Gen Z men and women (ages 18–29) view success and President Trump’s agenda in very different ways.
The age group also showed a massive gender divide this past presidential election — helping Trump beat former President Biden.
LOOKING AT THE DATA
Gen Z men who supported Trump ranked having children as the top factor defining success. For young women who supported Kamala Harris, it ranked near the bottom — with “a fulfilling job or career” topping their list.
The gap extends into politics: Overall, only 26% of young women approve of Trump compared to 47% of young men. On immigration, just 21% of Gen Z women approve of Trump’s handling of the issue, versus 45% of Gen Z men.
Mental health also shows a divide: One-third of Gen Z women report feeling anxious almost all the time, compared to fewer than two in ten Gen Z men.
With that, male Trump voters ranked emotional stability near the bottom of their list.
MO NEWS SLACK DISCUSSION
Over on the Mo News Premium Slack, some of our community shared their thoughts of the gender divides.
Shauna: For many women, she shared that “the juice has to be worth the squeeze to have children or even be married. And right now, it’s often not worth it.”
Why? The roles of men and women in the U.S. have changed — and women don’t want to go back. “If this is going to change, women are going to have to be partnered differently. Our value is no longer solely found in bearing children or homemaking.”
Raf, in observing and in conversation with Gen Zers, says Trump supporters in the group are already married with kids, while Harris supporters are more often still dating. He notes that politics is now a major filter in dating too — sometimes the first question.
Larger conversation? “It's been curious to see many Harris-supporting women in their early 30s (not technically Gen Z, but younger millennials) that have now changed their minds about career vs marriage/children, and now have some regret and frustration with the delay/missing out.”
🎧 We’ll be covering this poll and the larger divide on this week’s episode of the Ask Mo Anything (#AMA) podcast — out Saturday exclusively for Premium. Join today!