Barak Ravid
A week after Israel's missile strikes in Qatar, it's clear not only that the assassination attempt against Hamas leaders failed, but that it backfired.
Why it matters: The strike increased the feeling inside the Trump administration and around the world that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is reckless and has become a destabilizing force in the region.
How it happened: Israel's plan was to take out several of Hamas' top leaders all at once as they met to discuss President Trump's Gaza peace proposal.Five Hamas members were killed, along with a Qatari security officer, but the key targets all survived.
"None of the top Hamas leaders were killed. Maybe there were some shock victims," a senior Israeli intelligence official told Axios.
Netanyahu claimed the idea was that taking obstinate Hamas officials off the board would make it easier to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal.
Instead, the failed attack led to the indefinite suspension of negotiations. Hamas' negotiators went underground, and the outraged Qatari mediators suspended their efforts.A senior Israeli official told Axios Hamas had been moving "in the direction of a deal" and "we could have reached a breakthrough within days." Instead, the official argued, the strike sabotaged the talks.
Between the lines: Netanyahu wanted to apply more pressure on Qatar to squeeze Hamas, but the attack led to a swell of international solidarity with the Gulf emirate.Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was hosted by Trump at Trump Tower and by Vice President Vance at the White House, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio jetted to Doha to discuss a defense agreement with Qatar.
Dozens of Western and Arab leaders issued statements condemning Israel and supporting Qatar, and Arab and Muslim leaders flocked to Doha for an emergency summit on Monday.
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