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Senator Steve Daines is heading to Israel, and he made it clear he supports the country’s latest military action. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders this week, not in Gaza, but more than 1,300 miles away in Doha, Qatar.
The Qatari government, which has been playing a central role in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, condemned the strike as a criminal act and a violation of international law. But Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, rejected those criticisms. He compared Hamas to a “cancer” that must be eradicated and argued that Israel has the right to hunt down its enemies wherever they are.
To drive his point home, Daines offered an American comparison. He said that if terrorists killed 1,200 innocent people just outside Washington, D.C., the U.S. would stop at nothing to eliminate the threat. He also likened Israel’s operation in Doha to the U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, noting that America did not ask Pakistan’s permission.
Qatar strongly objected, calling the strike an attack on its sovereignty and even labeling it “state terrorism.” The IDF, however, said the operation was aimed at senior Hamas officials who were reviewing the latest U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal. Reports indicate the strike hit a residential complex in Doha.
The move complicates an already delicate situation. Qatar is a close U.S. ally and hosts America’s largest military base in the Middle East. When asked whether the strike could undermine ceasefire talks, Daines said he valued Qatar’s cooperation but stressed that Hamas was trying to escape Israel’s reach.
Former President Trump struck a more cautious tone. He told reporters he was “not thrilled” about the incident and described it as “unfortunate.” Still, he suggested it could become an opportunity for renewed peace efforts. Trump said he reassured Qatar’s leadership that such an attack would not happen again on their soil.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, Daines argued Israel had no choice. He pointed to past Israeli operations against Iran’s military leaders and nuclear scientists, saying the country must also dismantle Hamas’s “command and control structure.” His message was blunt: “Sometimes you can run, but you can’t hide.”