Hamas leadership had gathered in Doha to discuss the US President Donald Trump's proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. Then the attack came. Six people were killed, including Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya's son.
A clear breach of international law, concluded a number of world leaders immediately. "State-sponsored terrorism", claimed Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin al-Thani. But what does the law actually say?
It is a breach of the UN Charter's prohibition on the use of force in international relations. Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter - a completely fundamental rule, notes Pål Wrange, professor of international law at Stockholm University.
And depending on how one views the scope, it could also constitute an armed attack that gives the right to self-defense.
"Sweden at war with Russia"
A central question to clarify the legal aspects is whether Qatar is a neutral party. The country on the Arabian Peninsula has indeed functioned as a safe haven for the leadership of Hamas' political branch and has, according to multiple reports, supported the terrorist-stamped movement economically. But economic support does not make one a warring party, emphasizes Pål Wrange:
Then Sweden would have been at war with Russia for three years now.
At the same time, Qatar has acted as a mediator between the parties since the war broke out in 2023. Mark Klamberg, also a professor of international law at Stockholm University, perceives the country as neutral.
They do not participate as combatants in the conflict between Hamas and Israel, they do not send their own troops or military equipment. This does not mean that Qatar is forced to abstain from opinion on how the conflict should be resolved - they can have sympathy for one or the other side but still be a non-combatant state, he says and summarizes:
As a neutral and non-warring state, Qatar and its territory may not be attacked.
"Torpedo the negotiations"
Another question is whether the Hamas representatives in Qatar can be legally considered legitimate military targets. But regardless of whether they have given orders on military strategies, they are not combatants in the sense that the laws of war are based on, says Pål Wrange. Politicians are considered civilians - and civilians may not be attacked at all.
They may have a responsibility, just like (Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. But if you are not part of the military hierarchy, you are not a legitimate military target.
The attack on Qatar is remarkable in many ways, he notes.
Aside from the purely international law aspect, this raises attention in the sense that it occurs during ongoing negotiations. It is difficult to interpret it in any other way than that Israel wants to torpedo the negotiations.
Civilians may not be attacked in armed conflicts and must be protected, according to international law principles that the world community has agreed on.
The laws of war - formally international humanitarian law - aim to spare combatants, the wounded, prisoners of war, and civilians from unnecessary suffering.
The core of the laws consists of the four so-called Geneva Conventions from 1949, which have been ratified by nearly 200 states. Both state and non-state actors are covered by the laws.
Key words are distinction (separation of civilians and combatants), proportionality (the military significance of an attack must be weighed against the risks it poses to civilians), and caution (all parties must take all possible precautions to ensure that attacks are directed only at military targets).
The fact that non-civilian persons are among civilians does not mean that the group as a whole can be considered a legitimate target. The civilian population may not be used as so-called human shields to defend against attacks.
The special protective emblem of the healthcare system must be respected, and the warring parties must do what they can to facilitate humanitarian efforts.
Sources: UN, Red Cross, and National Encyclopedia
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza, which followed Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has bombed five sovereign states in the Middle East on several occasions. Here are some examples:
Lebanon: Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in one of many bombing raids on Beirut in September 2024. Earlier that month, thousands of Hezbollah members were killed or injured when their cell phones exploded in an Israeli attack. Israel also sent in ground forces that invaded southern Lebanon.
Iran: Israel killed Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniya in an air strike on a hotel in Tehran in July 2024. In June 2025, a 12-day war broke out between the countries, with rocket attacks from both sides. Israel killed high-ranking military leaders and researchers. The US then entered on Israel's side and bombed several Iranian nuclear facilities.
Syria: In July 2025, Israel launched air strikes on Syria, including the capital Damascus, with the stated goal of protecting Syria's Druze minority after violent ethnic clashes. Israel attacked, among other things, the Ministry of Defense in Damascus.
Yemen: In August 2025, Israel attacked Yemen's capital Sanaa and killed the Houthi-controlled government's Prime Minister Ahmad al-Rahawi and several other ministers. In recent years, Israel has repeatedly launched air strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, who in turn have attacked ships in the Red Sea and sent rockets and missiles to Israel.
Qatar: Israel's attack on Qatar's capital Doha on September 9 is the first Israeli attack on a target in the Persian Gulf. Qatar has acted as a safe haven for the terrorist-stamped Hamas' political branch, but also as a mediator in the war and hosted a number of peace talks.
In addition, Israel has since the start of the war dropped daily bombs on the Gaza Strip and forced the vast majority of its inhabitants to flee. More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the Hamas-controlled health authorities, whose statistics include both civilians and combatants.
