Netanyahu warns Hamas leaders not safe anywhere

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Photo:AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Hamas leaders will not be safe, no matter where they are in the world. His warning came after Israel launched a controversial strike last week in Qatar, a move that killed six people but left top Hamas figures alive.

At a press conference in Jerusalem alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu defended Israel’s right to act beyond its own borders. “Every nation has the right to defend itself, even outside its territory,” he said. His comments suggested that future strikes against Hamas leaders in foreign countries could not be ruled out.

US Reaction and Global Tensions

The decision to carry out an attack in Qatar, a key ally of the United States and home to a large US airbase, has sparked widespread anger across the Middle East. Even Washington expressed disapproval. US President Donald Trump earlier assured Qatar that no such attack would happen again on its soil.

When asked if the US had played any part in the Qatar strike, Netanyahu was firm in his denial: “We did it on our own. Period.”

Standing beside him, Rubio stressed that Washington’s relations with Gulf states remained strong, despite the growing strain. Both leaders tried to present a united front, highlighting deep cultural, economic, and technological ties between the two countries. Netanyahu added, “Israel has no better ally than the United States.”

Qatar at the Center of Diplomacy

Qatar has hosted the political office of Hamas since 2012 and has often acted as a mediator in indirect talks between Hamas and Israel. Its leaders were angered by the Israeli strike and have called on the international community to hold Israel accountable. At a regional summit, the Qatari prime minister accused Israel of applying “double standards” and demanded global action.

Rubio, after his visit to Israel, is scheduled to travel to Qatar, where discussions about the strike and the Gaza crisis are expected to continue.

Gaza: A Humanitarian Disaster

While diplomatic tensions grow, the situation in Gaza itself is worsening. Israel has stepped up its military campaign against Gaza City. Over the weekend, entire residential blocks were demolished, and the army has demanded that civilians flee south.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimate that around 250,000 people have already left, but many remain trapped. For some, the cost of leaving is impossible to afford. Gaza resident Hafez Habous explained, “They tell us to leave our homes as if it’s a holiday trip. But we have no money, no tents, no shelters, and no transport.”

He said drivers charge 300 shekels (about $90) to go south — a price many cannot pay. Others who tried to move south returned after discovering that strikes were still happening there, making the journey pointless.

Images over the weekend showed thousands of Palestinians carrying what belongings they could and heading down coastal roads, while airstrikes continued to hit high-rise buildings in Gaza City. The United Nations has already declared famine in the area and warned that more attacks could drive civilians into “an even deeper catastrophe.”

Political Moves and Future Plans

Netanyahu’s meeting with Rubio also touched on other sensitive issues. Israel’s government has been moving forward with new settlement projects in the West Bank, a region Palestinians hope will form part of their future state.

Just last month, Israel gave final approval for the controversial “E1 project” east of Jerusalem. This development would effectively split the West Bank in half, cutting off the Palestinian north from the south. Netanyahu signed the project agreement with the promise: “There will be no Palestinian state. This land belongs to us.”

In addition, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently proposed annexing about 80% of the West Bank. Israel already has around 160 settlements there, housing more than 700,000 Israelis. Palestinians, numbering over 3 million in the West Bank, live alongside them in increasingly difficult conditions. International law considers these settlements illegal, though Israel disputes this.

Upcoming UN Debate

The issue of Palestine’s statehood will soon return to the international stage. At the upcoming UN General Assembly session, several US allies — including the UK, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium — are expected to officially recognise Palestine as a state.

This has fueled fierce debate within Israel, especially among hardline members of Netanyahu’s coalition, who believe annexation is the only way to stop Palestinian independence.

Symbolic Visits and Archaeology Politics

During Rubio’s Israel trip, he and Netanyahu visited Jerusalem’s Old City, where they prayed at the Western Wall. Later, Rubio is expected to attend the inauguration of the “Pilgrimage Road,” a tunnel built under Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. The site is presented as an ancient pathway used by Jewish pilgrims, but critics argue that projects like this are part of a broader political effort to strengthen Jewish claims to contested areas.

The crisis now stretches across three fronts — the military offensive in Gaza, the political fight over the West Bank, and the diplomatic fallout from Israel’s strike in Qatar. Netanyahu’s uncompromising words suggest the conflict is far from cooling down. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face daily choices of survival, with no safe place to go and little hope for immediate relief.