‘Israel's long arm will reach terrorism anywhere’ - Israeli leaders praise strike intended to eliminate Hamas leaders in Qatar

Israel’s surprise strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar drew widespread international criticism, however, the response in the Jewish State was largely positive, even as leaders await confirmation of the attack’s success.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the strike almost immediately, releasing a statement through the Prime Minister’s Office, declaring the operation to be “a wholly independent Israeli operation.”

“Today's action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation,” the statement read. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”

Later in the evening, while attending an event at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Netanyahu elaborated further on the background of the strike.

“Yesterday, four of our soldiers were killed by Hamas terrorists in Gaza and six Israeli civilians were brutally murdered at a bus stop in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu stated. “This morning, Hamas proudly took credit for both of these actions.”

“At noon today, I convened the heads of Israel’s security organizations and authorized a surgical precision strike on the terrorist chiefs of Hamas,” the prime minister explained. "These are the same terrorists, terrorist chiefs, who planned, launched and celebrated the horrific massacres of October 7th: the savage murder of 1,200 people, the beheading of men, the rape and murder of women, the burning of babies, the taking of over 250 hostages, innocent hostages: grandmothers, grandchildren, Holocaust survivors. They perpetrated the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

“Now, they were meeting in the same place, exactly the same place where they celebrated this savagery almost two years ago,” Netanyahu remarked regarding the location targeted. “At the beginning of the war, I promised that Israel would reach those who perpetrated this horror. And today, Israel and I have kept that promise.”

After condemning world leaders for having “shamefully, shamefully forgotten October 7th, Netanyahu continued by saying, “I don’t forget, and Israel will never forget. Never.”

“There was a time when Jews could be murdered with impunity. But since the founding of the State of Israel, those days are over,” he pledged.

There was a time when Jews could be murdered with impunity, but since the founding of the State of Israel, those days are over! pic.twitter.com/SOdVjb7NQu
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 9, 2025

Reiterating his statement that “Israel acted wholly independently, and we take full responsibility for this action,” Netanyahu continued saying, “This action can open the door to an end of the war, end of the war in Gaza."

“Israel has accepted the principles, proposal put forward by President Trump to end the war, beginning with the immediate release of all our hostages which have been held in the dungeons of Gaza for 700 days. If President Trump’s proposal is accepted, the war can end immediately. We can begin once again to pursue the expansion of peace in our region for the benefit of all.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz posted a note to X, saying the strike revealed Israel’s “security policy.”

“Operation ‘Summit of Fire’ to thwart Hamas leaders: Israel's security policy is clear - Israel's long arm will act against its enemies anywhere. There is no place where they can hide,” he wrote. “Anyone who was a partner in the October 7 massacre will be held fully accountable. Anyone who carries out terror against Israel will be struck.”

Katz also intensified the warning for Hamas if the group does not agree to end the war.

“If the Hamas murderers and rapists do not accept Israel's conditions for ending the war, foremost among them the release of all the hostages and their disarmament - they will be annihilated and Gaza will be destroyed,” he threatened.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana posted a video of the strike with a message in Arabic saying, “This is a message to all of the Middle East.”

هذه رسالة لكل الشرق الأوسط pic.twitter.com/K9b5klGKMx
— Amir Ohana - אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) September 9, 2025

Communicaitons Minister Shlomo Karhi quoted part of a Psalm in his message congratulating Netanyahu and the security forces.

“May all Your enemies perish, O Lord!” Karhi wrote to X. “Israel's long arm will not falter against any enemy, whoever they may be.”

כן יאבדו כל אויביך ה'. ידה הארוכה של ישראל לא תקצר מול אף אויב, יהיה אשר יהיה.

מברך את רה"מ, הקבינט, צה"ל וכוחות הביטחון על פעולה מדויקת וקטלנית.

עם ישראל חי 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/CMHml8MR5J
— 🇮🇱שלמה קרעי - Shlomo Karhi (@shlomo_karhi) September 9, 2025

Boaz Bismuth, Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, wrote a message congratulating the security forces and Netanyahu, saying, “We have once again proven that there is no place in the world that serves as a refuge for terrorism.”

After French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the strike in a post to social media in Arabic, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli posted his own response, also in Arabic, saying, “I thought that the Qataris only bought Paris Saint-Germain [the French soccer team], but it seems they also bought Macron.”

After UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Israeli strikes during remarks at the UN, Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon accused the UN of failing to act against terrorism and its sources.

“The UN fails to act. Israel does not,” Dannon posted to X. “The UN does not condemn terrorism, does not remove real regional threats, and does not provide regional security. Israel does.”

The UN fails to act. Israel does not. The UN does not condemn terrorism, does not remove real regional threats, and does not provide regional security. Israel does.
Israel will not stand idly by and wait. We will do whatever is necessary to restore security for the people of… https://t.co/9aawNdY4P4
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) September 9, 2025

Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of Hamas senior official Sheikh Hassan Yousef, and an outspoken critic of Hamas and the Palestinian factions, posted a picture of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, with the caption, “Rest in peace!”

Defense officials are still awaiting confirmation of the attack’s success. A government source told Israel Hayom, “As of this moment, there is no confirmation of the assassinations.”

At the same time, defense officials are not taking Hamas’ statements that Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Haya were not killed in the attack seriously, preferring to wait for intelligence officials to clarify. Hamas has previously claimed that leaders targeted by Israel were alive, only to later admit that they had been killed.