JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Doubts grow inside the political and security establishments in Israel about the success of an airstrike on Hamas leadership in Qatar, local media said on Wednesday.

"Things do not look good, and do not call for optimism," said Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh, citing two security sources.

“The death of Hamas leaders remains uncertain. We have to remain cautious,” he said.

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that there has been no official confirmation from Israeli authorities on the death of Hamas leaders in Tuesday’s attack in Doha.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas confirmed that five members were killed in the Israeli strike, but its negotiating teams survived.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli strike, calling it a “blatant violation of international law.”

Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, has been mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a potential prisoner swap and ceasefire deal.

Israel has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and pushed the territory’s population into famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.