Israel’s Mossad spy agency and the White House both promised Doha recently that they would not carry out attacks on Hamas figures in Qatar, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius reports, citing a Qatari official.
According to Ignatius, Qatar sought assurances after IDF Chief Eyal Zamir said on August 31 that “the bulk of Hamas’s ruling leadership that remains is abroad, and we will reach them too.”
He says the pledges were given last month, indicating that the Mossad and White House did so within hours of Zamir’s comments.
Tuesday’s strike “came as a total surprise,” a Qatari official is quoted telling the columnist.
Perhaps tellingly, comments describing the strike from Israeli officials have noted the involvement of the military and the Shin Bet, but not the Mossad, which would normally play a key role in a sensitive operation against terror figures outside of Israel or its immediate environs.
Mossad head David Barnea has played a leading role in indirect talks with Hamas on ending the Gaza war and freeing hostages, which have been mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US.
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