Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar signals a new era of deterrence, according to a Telegraph analysis by columnist Jake Wallis Simons.
The operation, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War and came nearly two years after the October 7 massacre, carried a clear warning. “If you are bent on killing Jews, nowhere is safe,” Simons wrote.
Unconfirmed Arab reports claimed that Khaled Meshaal, former head of Hamas, may have been among those targeted. Simons recalled how Meshaal was challenged on Saudi television after October 7, asked whether Hamas would “apologize for what was done to the Israeli civilians.” His evasive answers, Simons argued, did little to win support.
The columnist wrote that Gulf leaders may react with “performative outrage,” but few will mourn Hamas leaders or Qatar’s role in hosting them. He added that years of Qatari propaganda had left Arab opinion “deeply contaminated.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty. Yet unlike past covert operations, Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed “full responsibility,” which Simons said highlights a new Israeli confidence in deterrence and in its backing from Washington under President Donald Trump.
He concluded by invoking Golda Meir’s 1969 remark: “We have always said that in our war with the Arabs, we had a secret weapon. No alternative.”