Qatar Aided Hamas Leaders' Escape After Israeli Strike in Doha

Qatari security personnel assisted senior Hamas officials in changing clothes and splitting up into multiple vehicles to escape immediately following an Israeli strike in Doha, Qatar, according to a report by Qatar's Al-Arabi channel. The escape plan was reportedly prepared in advance and activated right after the initial explosion.

Details revealed that during the first attack at 3:46 PM, the Hamas leaders were not in the targeted building but in a nearby structure. The Qatari official responsible for the leaders' security told the channel that emergency procedures and an evacuation plan to a safe location had been established beforehand. Following the strike, the security team arrived and executed the plan, helping the officials change clothes to disguise their movement to waiting vehicles. Each official was then evacuated separately in different vehicles, heading to various safe locations away from the attack site.

The security official stated he was unaware of the Hamas members' emotional state but confirmed their cooperation, as they had been briefed on emergency protocols. Hamas official Basem Naim mentioned that shortly before the attack, the organization's leadership received a five-point US proposal for a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza, presented by the Qataris as an official message from then-US President Donald Trump, with a 48-hour deadline for a response.

Naim also expressed prior concerns within Hamas about an Israeli operation targeting the leadership, particularly the head of the negotiation team, Khalil al-Hayya, though the timing and method were unclear. Security camera footage shown in the report depicted stairwells and nearby streets after the attack. A Qatari eyewitness reported hearing at least ten explosions in the area. Naim described realizing his life was in danger and his immediate request for the delegation to recite the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, believing it might be their last words, before the swift evacuation plan was implemented.