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More than a week after Israel carried out an airstrike in the Qatari capital Doha, targeting high-ranking members of the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, one of its leaders has appeared in public for the first time.
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Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas political bureau, was seen publicly for the first time on Wednesday, speaking to Al Jazeera in an interview.
‘Realised it was an Israeli attack’
Hamad confirmed that he was at the site when the Israeli airstrike happened.
“We were discussing a ceasefire proposal, less than an hour after the meeting began, we heard an explosion,” he said.
“The rockets came down consecutively, without a pause, around 12 missiles in less than a minute,” Hamad said further, adding that they knew it was an Israeli attack.
“As residents of Gaza, we recognize those sounds. We tried to flee as quickly as possible, and we succeeded,” he said.
Smoke rises from an explosion, allegedly caused by an Israeli strike, in Doha, Qatar. (AP)
‘Israel putting hostages at risk’
Hamad, who is the chairman of the Gaza Energy Authority, had previously served as Hamas spokesperson and deputy foreign minister. He is also a key member of the Hamas negotiation team.
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In his interview, Hamad criticized the role of American mediators during recent negotiations.
“Our experience with the American mediator was bitter, and there was no credibility on the American side because they withdrew from their proposals,” he said.
Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas terrorist, appeared on Al Jazeera after being at the site of the Israeli attack in Qatar.
Hamad revealed new details on the assassination attempt:
“We were sitting to discuss the American proposal to end the war, after less than an hour we heard… pic.twitter.com/WgeTXcPglM— AchlaNews – Covering Everything Israel (@Achlanews) September 17, 2025
A total of 48 Israeli hostages, including around 20 who are alive, are still being held in Gaza by Hamas. The airstrike in Doha and Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza City have made efforts for their return difficult.
“We treat the prisoners according to our values despite the massacres against our people. Those putting them at risk are the occupiers themselves,” Hamad said.
Israeli airstrike in Doha
Israel carried out the airstrike in Doha on September 9, targeting senior Hamas leaders, including Khalil al-Hayya, Khaled Mashaal, and Zaher Jabarin. Despite the initial claim of success by Israel, the daring airstrike failed to meet its objective.
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A total of six people, including a Qatari military personnel and five low-ranking members of Hamas, were killed in the attack, which resulted in widespread international criticism of Israel. In a rare move, even the US distanced itself from Israel over the airstrike in Qatar, one of the most important American allies in the Middle East.
Despite the setback, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the airstrike has sent a message to Hamas that they are not safe anywhere, and warned that they will get them the next time, even as the US says it has assured Qatar that such an attack won’t be repeated.
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