Israeli Assessment: Doha Strike Costs Outweigh Any Gains

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani addresses to delegates during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel continues to assess the consequences of Tuesday’s failed strike on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, with officials and analysts concluding that the political and diplomatic fallout has been far more damaging than any potential benefit.

While the attack is unlikely to derail ongoing negotiations or force Qatar to abandon its mediation role, it has left Israel facing sharp criticism at home and abroad.

An Israeli official told Yedioth Ahronoth that the risk was justified, arguing that eliminating Hamas leaders had never prevented agreements in the past.

“Hamas makes deals based on its own calculations, not on anger or appeasement,” he said, adding that only strong US pressure could alter the trajectory of negotiations.

Yet across Israel’s security and political establishment, there is near consensus that the operation backfired.

Former Knesset member Ksenia Svetlova wrote in the Times of Israel that the failed assassination attempt damaged Israel’s standing in peace talks and eroded its international reputation.

Arab leaders, she said, see Israel’s overreliance on force and lack of diplomacy as a liability, warning that such a “rampaging elephant” approach could ultimately destabilize the region further.

Elie Podeh, professor of Middle Eastern studies at the Hebrew University, called the strike a strategic error.

Writing in Channel 12, he argued that even if successful, the costs would have outweighed the gains, noting that the attack undermined years of quiet trust-building with Qatar and embarrassed US President Donald Trump, a key ally to both sides.

Instead of weakening Hamas, he said, the strike elevated Qatar’s stature and unnerved other Arab states.

Journalist Ronen Bergman said that the targeted facility may have also housed a senior Qatari official managing Israel relations, which could have escalated the crisis further.

Interviews with four Israeli security and intelligence officials revealed deep dissatisfaction, questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision-making and whether the operation could realistically have secured hostage releases from Gaza.

The fallout has extended beyond diplomacy.

Israeli media drew attention to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani warmly receiving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán - a staunch ally of Israel - in a moment described by Yedioth as “a hug from a friend of Israel, too,” symbolizing Israel’s growing isolation.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of wrecking Israel’s international standing with “a lethal mix of irresponsibility, incompetence, and arrogance.”

Columnist Sima Kadmon added that what initially looked like a dramatic success quickly unraveled, exposing not just a failed operation but a deeper erosion of public trust in the government’s motives. “For many hostage families,” she wrote, “that trust no longer exists.”