Airstrike in Qatar: Israel’s Lawless Acts Spread Warfare in Middle East

Editorial

15:34 JST, September 11, 2025

Israel has once again attacked another nation’s territory. To ignore international law and spread warfare across the Middle East is absolutely unacceptable.

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on a building in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where senior members of the Islamist group Hamas and others resided. Six individuals, some of whom were associated with Hamas, were killed.

Hamas is an Islamist organization based in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, but it maintains a political office in Doha, where senior members conduct diplomatic activities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the attack was in response to a fatal shooting carried out by Palestinians in northern Jerusalem. However, international law prohibits the use of force against other countries, except in self-defense.

It is quite natural that Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned this as a “blatant violation of all international laws” and a “serious threat” to Qataris.

Qatar is mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza. The senior members of Hamas that were targeted were reportedly discussing the details of a new ceasefire proposal presented by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration at the time of the attack.

It is outrageous to attack a country acting as a mediator during ceasefire negotiations involving the United States, Israel’s strongest backer. The Netanyahu administration has effectively indicated clearly that it has no intention of engaging in ceasefire talks.

Trump expressed displeasure about the attack, noting that Israel did not provide details beforehand. If that is true, he should lodge a strong protest with Israel and increase pressure on the country to reach a ceasefire.

There is no denying that Trump’s continued and extreme support for Israel is emboldening Netanyahu.

Israel carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear-related facilities in June. It has also repeatedly launched missile and other attacks on Syria and Lebanon. Israel has a grave responsibility for spreading crisis across the entire Middle East.

It must be said that Netanyahu is trying to maintain domestic support and ensure his own political survival by pledging to annihilate Hamas and by perpetuating an endless battle against hostile forces.

Israel’s invasion of Gaza has gone on for nearly two years. While it was triggered by Hamas’ cross-border attacks, Israel’s indiscriminate strikes have involved countless civilians, with the number of deaths exceeding 64,000.

Furthermore, Israel is obstructing the delivery of food and other supplies into Gaza, with the United Nations and other organizations saying that the enclave is experiencing famine.

It is obvious that Israel’s actions deviate from the scope of self-defense and also violate international humanitarian law. How long will Israel and the United States intend to ignore the concerns of the international community?

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 11, 2025)