The Israeli military says it has carried out an assassination attempt on top Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital, Doha, where multiple explosions have been heard.

This appears to undercut Israel’s claims to be earnestly negotiating a ceasefire in the Gaza war with the people it has attempted to assassinate and could mark a further escalation of regional conflict.

“Striking the party you claim to be negotiating a ceasefire with — in the midst of those negotiations — is proof positive that Israel is not negotiating in good faith, and that Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to prioritize his own political coalition over Palestinian lives, or for that matter even the lives of Israeli hostages in Gaza,” said Josh Paul, who spent more than 11 years as the director of congressional and public affairs at the State Department bureau that oversees arms transfers to foreign nations before resigning in 2023 over U.S. military assistance to Israel.

“But more than that, striking the sovereign territory of a third country during peacetime is an act of war that makes a mockery of international law, further destabilizes the region, and means the chances of a peaceful Israeli........

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