DOHA/DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Israel launched an airstrike against the leaders of arch foe Hamas in Qatar on Tuesday (Sep 9), escalating its military action in the Middle East with what the White House described as a unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said hitting Hamas was a worthy goal, but the United States felt badly that the attack took place in the Gulf Arab state, which is a major non-NATO ally of Washington and where the Palestinian Islamist group has long had its political base.

The attack, which drew condemnation from key regional countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, risks derailing Gaza ceasefire talks and President Donald Trump's push to achieve a negotiated end to the nearly two-year-old conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Qatar is a key security partner of the United States and host to al-Udeid Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Middle East. It has acted as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, which is becoming increasingly elusive.

Hamas said five of its members had been killed in the attack, including the son of Hamas's exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. It said Israel had failed in what Hamas called an attempt to assassinate the group's ceasefire negotiation team.

The US administration got warning of the attack"just before" it took place, Leavitt said, and that came from the US military. She declined to answer if it was Israel who notified the US military or not.

"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar - a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace - does not advance Israel or America's goals," Leavitt said."However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal."

Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera TV the group's top leadership had survived the Israeli attack. The airstrike followed an evacuation order in Gaza City, where Israel is waging an offensive to try to destroy what is left of the group that has been decimated by Israel's military since October 2023.

Leavitt said Trump directed a top aide, Steve Witkoff, to warn Qatar the attack was coming but Doha contradicted her comments, saying that reports that it got a heads-up before the attack were false and the phone call from a US official came when blasts were already being heard in the Qatari capital.

In a phone call with the emir of Qatar after the attack, Trump assured the emir"such a thing will not happen again on their soil." Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Leavitt said.

Israeli officials told Reuters the strike was aimed at top Hamas leaders including Hayya. Israel is still gathering information on the strike and is yet to determine whether any Hamas officials or leaders were killed, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Two US officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the US military had been notified by Israel shortly before the strike but there was no coordination with or approval from Washington.

Trump made a high-profile visit to Qatar in May and stayed at a hotel about 2 km from Tuesday's attack site.

ATTACK FOLLOWED JERUSALEM KILLINGS

The airstrike took place shortly after Hamas' armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for a shooting on Monday that killed six people at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Netanyahu said the attack was"entirely justified" and was ordered after the Jerusalem attack and the loss of four Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

"The days are over when terror leaders can enjoy immunity of any kind... I won't allow that kind of immunity to exist," Netanyahu said in a televised address.

The Israeli operation drew strong negative reactions around the world.

The European Union called it a breach of international law and Qatar's territorial integrity while the United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, called it"blatant and cowardly".

Regional power Saudi Arabia denounced what it called"brutal Israeli aggression" against Qatar's sovereignty. Egypt said the attack set a dangerous precedent.

Pope Leo expressed unusually forceful concern about the consequences of Israel's strike in Qatar.

"The entire situation is very serious," he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and said Qatar had been playing a very positive role in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Israel has killed several top Hamas leaders since the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel has also launched airstrikes and other military action in Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen in the course of the Gaza conflict.

GAZA CITY BRACES FOR NEW ONSLAUGHT

On Tuesday, Palestinians living in the ruins of Gaza City were bombarded with Israeli leaflets ordering them out, after Israel said it was about to obliterate the area in an assault to wipe out Hamas, causing panic and confusion.

Residents of Gaza's biggest urban area, home to a million Palestinians before the war, have been expecting an onslaught for weeks, since Israel devised a plan to deal Hamas a fatal blow in what it says are the group's last strongholds.

International critics say Israel's Gaza plan, which includes demilitarising the entire Gaza Strip as Israel takes security control, could worsen the humanitarian plight of the 2.2 million Palestinians who live there.

The plan has also provoked concern inside Israel, where public support for the war has wavered. Israel's military leadership has warned Netanyahu against expanding the war, according to Israeli officials.

Families of Israeli hostages fear the attack could endanger the captives. Netanyahu says he is acting out of Israel's interest by moving to finish off Hamas in order to safeguard his country against any more attacks.

Israel has been accused of genocide, including this month by the world's biggest group of genocide scholars, over its nearly two-year campaign in the Palestinian enclave that has killed more than 64,000 people according to local authorities.