Mary Litchfield
UGC Hub & Investigations

Image source, Reuters

A teacher from the UK who works in Doha says he had just left work when he heard the blasts.

"We thought there was something wrong with the car," he tells the BBC, wishing to remain anonymous, until he heard another blast and realised it was explosives.

Similarly to another resident we spoke to, the incident reminded him of Iran's strikes on a US military airbase in Doha in June.

"It brought back the feeling of before - that sense of panic, worry and concern - you think 'oh God, is it happening again?'"

"You could see people freeze in the car park, the birds are all going crazy, [and] you realise you’re not alone and right to be worried," he says, adding that it is "very scary" for young families.

"It’s a worry and the second time in a few months. There’s always risks when you’re working away from home, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Adnan Elbursh
BBC Arabic Gaza affairs correspondent, reporting from Doha

Hamas has had a base in the Qatari capital Doha since 2012.

Qatar has always played a crucial role in the negotiations between Hamas and Israel for years, not only in the current war.

Before the war, the Qataris had supported Hamas leadership in Gaza and funded reconstruction and infrastructure projects in the Gaza strip.

Qatari foreign affairs officials have repeatedly responded to critics accusing the Gulf state of “taking Hamas’s side” by asserting that Hamas’s presence in Qatar was based on the American administration demands.

In a previous statement in November 2024, the Qatari foreign ministry said that "the main goal of the [Hamas] office in Qatar is to be a channel of communication... [which] has contributed to achieving a ceasefire in previous stages".

Mary Litchfield
UGC Hub & Investigations

Image source, Reuters

Residents in Doha have been telling us about the moment they heard the Israeli strike in the city earlier.

Asma was working at a tower in the Qatari capital's West Bay area when she heard banging.

"It sounded like a demolition ball", she tells the BBC, but when she saw the smoke, her "mind went straight back to the airbase strike". In June, Iran attacked a US military base in Doha in retaliation for American strikes against its nuclear sites.

“I saw the smoke and decided to call my kids, (to) make sure they were home, and left straight away," she says.

"Everybody felt it in all different parts of Doha", she says, explaining that the area hit was central, which made it "quite worrying".

"On the way home, I saw the roads were quite bare because everyone had decided to stay at home. Everybody is sitting tight and waiting to hear what the news is.”

The European Union says Israel's strike on Doha "breaches international law and Qatar's territorial integrity", adding that it risks a further escalation of violence in the region.

A spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says the EU expresses "full solidarity" with Qatar, which it calls a "strategic partner".

"Any escalation of the war in Gaza must be avoided - it is in no one’s interest. We will continue to support all efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza."

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan says Turkey will stand by Qatar and its people with "all its resources" following Israel's "heinous attack", according to Turkey's directorate of communications.

In a statement, it says Erdoğan expressed his condemnation of the attack, which "aims to deepen conflict, tension and instability in the region", during a phone call with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

It adds that the two leaders discussed "joint steps" to be taken against the attack, and also agreed to continue working together to "quickly end the massacre in Gaza".

Azadeh Moshiri
Correspondent reporting from Doha

Roads leading to the site of Israel’s strike are still cordoned off, and helicopters have been flying overhead for hours.

There may have been multiple explosions earlier today, but these are now quiet streets around us, with a heavy security presence.

Qatar’s parliament is only a 15-minute drive away. The area is a residential neighbourhood, which also hosts luxury hotels and multiple embassies.

Though Qatar has confirmed Israel’s strike was targeting "one of the residential headquarters of Hamas", to residents we've spoken to here in Doha, this was a shocking attack on a prominent part of the capital.

Trump says he feels "very badly" about the attack, as he views Qatar as a "strong ally and friend" of the US.

He writes: "I want ALL of the Hostages, and bodies of the dead, released, and this War to END, NOW! I also spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu after the attack. The Prime Minister told me that he wants to make Peace. I believe this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for PEACE."

The US president also says he spokes to the Emir and prime minister of Qatar, and thanked them for their "support and friendship" to the US.

"I assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil," Trump says - adding that he's directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to finalise a "Defense Cooperation Agreement" with Qatar.

More now from that new Trump statement.

He makes clear the decision to strike the Hamas leaders in Doha was "made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me".

The US president says bombing a "Sovereign Nation and close Ally" of the US, "that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America's goals".

However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal, he adds.

After learning of the Israeli attack, Trump says he "immediately directed" US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to "inform the Qataris of the impending attack" - but adds that it was "too late to stop the attack".

Donald Trump has just posted on Truth Social about the sequence of events as Israel attacked the Hamas leaders in Doha earlier today.

He writes: "This morning, the Trump Administration was notified by the United States Military that Israel was attacking Hamas which, very unfortunately, was located in a section of Doha, the Capital of Qatar."

We'll have more from his post shortly.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani says his country "reserves the right" to respond to Israel's "blatant attack", which he calls a "pivotal moment" for region.

Speaking during a press conference, he says: "There must be a response from the entire region to such barbaric actions."

Al-Thani also states that the US first warned Qatar of the attack 10 minutes after it had already started.

On the matter of Gaza, he says "nothing" will deter them in continuing their mediation in the region.

The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has released a statement after his phone call with US President Trump, following the Israeli strike in Doha.

The Emir says Trump affirmed US solidarity with Qatar and "strongly condemned the attack on its sovereignty".

The Emir told Trump that Qatar considers this a "reckless criminal attack" by Israel, and his country "will take all necessary measures to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty".

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the Israeli strike on Qatar, writing in a post on X, external that it violates "Qatar's sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region".

Starmer is expected to hold talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Downing Street tomorrow.

No 10 said Starmer will raise the "intolerable situation in Gaza" and the "action Israel must take to end the horrific suffering we're witnessing" with the Israeli president.

Sixty MPs and peers are calling on the government, external to deny Herzog entry to the UK to avoid the risk of being complicit in genocide in Gaza, under the terms of a UN treaty.

What now for Qatar and the Middle East?published at 20:42 BST 9 September

20:42 BST 9 September

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

This is now the second time in three months that tiny, wealthy Qatar has found itself on the receiving end of incoming missiles, the other being Iran’s token attack in June on the US airbase at al-Udeid, just outside Doha.

There will be some within the ruling Al-Thani family, one of the richest dynasties in the Gulf, who must be questioning the wisdom of hosting both the leadership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and a massive US military base.

After all, Qatar is busy enough investing its vast gas wealth in buying strategic stakes in less dangerous entities like London property.

So where does this leave the rest of the Middle East?

The faltering Gaza peace talks, brokered and hosted by Qatar, have come to a screeching halt. That’s bad news for the Israeli hostages, whose lives must be in even more mortal danger, and bad news for the people of Gaza, whose daily agony continues unabated.

Across the region, Israel had already shown that with an effective green light from this US administration it can strike anywhere with impunity: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen.

But hitting Qatar may be too much for even the Trump administration. If there is to be a backlash in the region it will quite possibly target US interests, rather than the less accessible Israeli ones.

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

In the hours since Israel's strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar's capital Doha, the BBC's correspondents have been unpicking every aspect and distilling the wider implications.

Security correspondent Frank Gardner says Israel's strike sets a worrying precedent for future peace talks. He adds that the Qataris, who have invested huge amounts of time into trying to broker an end to the Gaza war, are furious.

Diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams writes that as questions rage across the Middle East, the strike could be seen as an expensive gamble.

International Editor Jeremy Bowen says the strike clearly shows Israel is going full steam ahead on all fronts, and has given up on talks. He adds that this isn't just a war on Gaza, but a war on Hamas wherever they are.

Reporting from Jerusalem, Wyre Davies says it has caused a major escalation in regional tensions and comes just two days after Trump urged Hamas leaders to consider his ceasefire plan.

From the US, State Department correspondent Tom Bateman says Trump will have to contain the fall out, as all eyes turn to what he will do next.

And, North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal says it's clear that if there was an option to stop Israel's attack, the US didn't take it.

We'll shortly be hearing again from Frank Gardner, who will take us through what could be next for the Middle East. Stay with us for all the key developments and analysis.

Adnan Elbursh
BBC Arabic Gaza affairs correspondent, reporting from Doha

I was in my office when I heard the explosions. I was confused, looking out of the windows not knowing what to think.

At first I thought it was a strong thunder strike or some sort of a natural phenomenon. Then my brain recollected the explosions we heard a couple of months ago when Iranian missiles targeted the American military base in Doha, al-Udeid.

I thought to myself, “might it be Iran again?”

With more explosions following shortly, I thought of what we called in Gaza “a fire belt” - that’s when the Israeli military drop several missiles in one location within a very short period of time, making very similar noises to what I heard today, with more than 10 consecutive explosions within two minutes or so.

My kids were scared at home and my wife called, asking what’s going on with all the bombing? No one knew what was going on, we were all shocked and confused.

If the strike wasn't a success, then it's an expensive gamblepublished at 20:00 BST 9 September

20:00 BST 9 September

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

Israel has released the words addressed to air force pilots by the Chief of the General Staff, Eyal Zamir, shortly before today’s operation.

Lt Gen Zamir told the pilots they were “settling a moral and ethical account on behalf of all the victims of 7 October” by killing the Hamas leaders.

But Hamas says its senior leaders have not been killed. It may be some time before the true picture emerges.

If Israel did manage to kill Khalil al-Hayya and his lieutenants, then the government here will conclude that it was worth the diplomatic and political cost.

This cost includes triggering outrage across the Gulf, drawing condemnation from traditional allies like Britain and France, and even ruffling feathers in the White House - even if the statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is more than a little double-edged.

But if the mission was not the success Israel was looking for, the mission could start to look like an expensive gamble.

If there was an option to stop Israel's attack, the US didn't take itpublished at 19:48 BST 9 September

19:48 BST 9 September

Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent

The White House statement is very stark in criticising Israel. And it’s not hard to see why.

Hamas leaders were said to have been targeted while discussing Trump’s proposals in a similar way to what happened between Iran and the US in June.

Big difference however is that Qatar is a major US ally that hosts a key American airbase. It's promised billions in investment and even controversially gave Trump a jet.

Crucially it was the nation that was mediating a ceasefire - something Trump claimed was close to happening.

However despite the criticism, the US admits it was notified.

So, if there was an option to stop the attack by using its leverage when it comes to military support for Israel, the US didn’t take it.

Questions remain unanswered after White House briefingpublished at 19:39 BST 9 September

19:39 BST 9 September

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Karoline Leavitt's briefing at the White House has left just as many questions as answers.

For now, we're still unclear on the timeline and sequence of events that led to the US being notified of the attack.

While she acknowledged that the US military told the White House of the attack, it remains unclear whether the Pentagon was told ahead of time, or after the strike was launched or in progress.

And given that the target of the strike appears to have been members of Hamas' negotiating team, we also cannot say with any clarity why the administration believes this could be "an opportunity for peace" or further negotiations.

There was, however, a hint of frustration from the podium when she quoted Trump's words that the strike does not "advance" US or Israeli goals.

And while she confirmed Trump spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu, we have yet to hear, in clear terms, if displeasure or irritation was actually expressed to his Israeli counterpart.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari says the country was not notified of the Israeli strike before it hit Doha.

"The communication received from one of the US officials came during the sound of explosions," he says in a post on X.

The White House earlier confirmed that the US administration was notified of the attack ahead of it being launched.

In a recent statement, they said Trump "immediately directed" special envoy Steve Witkoff to notify the Qataris of the attack, which the White House said he did.

The Qataris are furious, and may have hard questions for Washingtonpublished at 19:20 BST 9 September

19:20 BST 9 September

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Who was killed and who was injured in this strike is arguably less important than who was targeted, and what that says about the future security of the Middle East.

Israel was quick to admit it had carried out the attack, saying it was targeting Khalil al-Hayya, the chief Hamas negotiator based in Qatar.

But even before the Israeli air force struck, negotiators say that Hamas’s organisational structure in Gaza was already so depleted and scattered that it was becoming increasingly hard for its leadership in Qatar to relay decisions, taken in that tranquil Gulf state, to fugitive fighters hiding in the rubble of Gaza.

The Qataris are furious about this attack. They’ve invested huge amounts of time and effort trying to broker an end to the Gaza war, as well as the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Their efforts have yielded some results in the past, but it’s hard to see how that can continue now, at least not on Qatari soil. Washington had advance warning of this, which could lead to reprisals against US interests in the region.

In Qatar the ruling Al-Thani family may have some hard questions for Washington, given that they host the biggest US base in the region from where all US military air operations are coordinated.