The Israeli Defence Force on Tuesday carried out targeted strikes on Hamas leaders at its headquarters in Doha, Qatar, as the war continues for the third consecutive year.
The blast rocked the Qatari capital city, sending black smoke into the air. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was injured in the attack.
The exiled leadership of Hamas has long been based in Qatar, which has served as a mediator in talks between Hamas and Israel for several years.
Majed Al Ansari, Advisor to the Qatar Prime Minister and official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemned the attack, calling it a "criminal assault".
"The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha. This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," he said.
He affirmed that the country's security forces, civil defence, and relevant authorities promptly responded to the incident and took necessary measures to contain its repercussions and ensure the safety of the residents and surrounding areas.
Slamming Israel for the "reckless" behaviour, Majed said Qatar will "not tolerate" the action and "the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty."
"Investigations are underway at the highest level, and further details will be announced as soon as they are available," he added.
According to Qatari media, three bodyguards of Hamas leaders were among five killed in the attack. Khalil al-Hayya's son, Hammam al-Hayya, and his office manager, Jihad Labad, were both killed, Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told AlJazeera.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took full responsibility of the attack.
"Today's action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," said his office in a statement.