TRT World - Hamas calls US 'accomplice' in Israel's Qatar attack as funerals held in Doha
Hamas has accused the United States of complicity in Israel's deadly attack on its negotiators in Qatar, denouncing it as an attempt to destroy Gaza truce talks, as funerals were held in Doha. "This crime was… an assassination of the entire negotiation process and a deliberate targeting of the role of our mediating brothers in Qatar and Egypt," Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said in a televised address.
He accused Washington of being "a full accomplice" in the Israeli attack. Tuesday’s unprecedented attack in Doha shattered a sense of Gulf immunity from conflict and halted already fragile Gaza ceasefire efforts. In Qatar’s capital, tight security surrounded Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque as the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, joined mourners in prayers.
One coffin draped in the Qatari flag and five others with Palestinian flags were brought into the mosque before burial at Mesaimeer Cemetery. Among those killed were Khalil al-Hayya’s son Hamam, his office director Jihad Labad, and bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk, Abdallah Abdelwahd and Mumen Hassoun, according to Hamas.
Qatari Lance Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari also died in the attack. Hamas said Hayya's wife, his daughter-in-law and grandchildren were wounded. The Hamas chief negotiator did not appear at the funeral, and his fate remains uncertain. The group said senior members including Osama Hamdan and Izzat al-Rishq attended the burial.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told CNN that the attack had killed "any hope" for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and confirmed Doha was reevaluating "everything" regarding its mediation role. He called for a collective regional response and said an Arab-Islamic summit would be held in Doha.
The UN Security Council condemned the attack, without directly naming Israel, and expressed solidarity with Qatar. The White House said President Donald Trump did not approve the action, claiming he instructed his envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Doha, but "unfortunately, too late to stop the attack." Israel said it targeted Hamas' senior leadership.
While Hamas insists its top officials survived, regional media reported two politburo members were critically wounded. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday that "there will be no Palestinian state," speaking at a settlement project ceremony in the occupied West Bank.
He said the land "belongs to us," rejecting international moves to recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly this month. Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political office since 2012 with US and Israeli approval, allowing it to serve as a mediation hub.