Arab media reports on Wednesday claimed that senior Hamas leaders in Qatar narrowly survived Israel’s Operation Summit of Fire strike by leaving their meeting room just before the attack to conduct afternoon prayers. According to these accounts, the officials left their mobile phones on the table, potentially misleading Israeli tracking systems that rely on signal detection to locate high-value targets. While some initial reports suggested deputy leader Khalil al-Hayya and others were killed, speculation now points to the possibility that the leaders escaped unharmed.

Confusion deepened as varying narratives emerged. The Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Hamas officials were not in the targeted main building at all, but in a separate residence. Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed the strike on Hamas’ residential headquarters in Doha, carried out with precision-guided munitions to minimize civilian casualties. In response, Qatar condemned the operation as a violation of international law and suspended its mediation in ceasefire and hostage release talks, escalating the diplomatic fallout from the attack.

SOURCE: Israel Hayom