Israel's Stark Warning to Hamas: 'Next Time, You Won't Be So Lucky'

Doha (The Uttam Hindu): Israel's air strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar on Tuesday amid US ceasefire proposals in Gaza has created a new diplomatic storm. Hamas has claimed that its top leaders narrowly escaped the attack, but Israel has warned that those who survived will be targeted next time. At the same time, the White House has termed the incident as "unfortunate".

Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, told Fox News late Tuesday night, "If the Hamas leaders did not die in the air strike on Qatar, we will succeed next time. If they survive, they will be targeted next time." He also acknowledged that the attack would be criticized, but said, "We will overcome it."

After the attack, Hamas issued a statement confirming that its top leadership was safe, but five lower-level members were killed. Those killed included the son of Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas' leader and chief negotiator for Gaza. At the same time, Qatar's Home Ministry said that a member of Qatar's internal security force was also killed in the attack and many others were injured.

Meanwhile, the White House has revealed that Israel had informed the US before attacking Qatar, and the US had passed on this information to Qatar. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said President Donald Trump considers the incident 'unfortunate', which will not promote peace in the region. Levitt said, "President Trump has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his concerns and views clearly."