Gaza 'will be destroyed' if Hamas doesn't agree ceasefire deal, says minister - but Qatar attack puts talks in doubt

Israel attacking Yemen's capital

According to Yemen's Houthi-run Al Masirah TV, Israel has struck the country's capital, Sanaa.

The broadcaster hasn't given any further details on the attack, but Israeli media is also reporting the military is striking the city.

A military spokesperson for the Houthis - an Iran backed group that runs part of Yemen, including the capital - said their air defences are intercepting an Israeli attack.

The Houthis have controlled much of northwestern Yemen since 2014, after forcing out the internationally recognised government and starting a civil war.

They have conducted repeated strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Israel.

Palestinians head south as Israel orders evacuation from largest city

Families, some carrying their belongings on vehicles, donkey carts and rickshaws, continue to flee Gaza City, where Israel is planning an expanded offensive.

Palestinians are moving along the coastal road in anticipation of that operation.

As some fled, an evacuated residential building - which was housing displaced Palestinians - collapsed after an Israeli air strike.

At least 30 people have been killed across Gaza today, according to medics in the Hamas-run territory.

UK goverment would support international forces going into Gaza, minister suggests

We brought you comments from Hamish Falconer in our previous post and the Foreign Office minister has now offered further remarks on the current situation in Gaza - indicating the UK government "would support international forces to go into" the territory if ceasefire negotiations can progress.

He was responding to Conservative MP Simon Hoare, who told Parliament that the "two extremes in this conflict have actually no interest in peace".

Hoare asked: "Is it now not time to call Israel's bluff through the United Nations, to seek the engagement of Blue Helmets or some similar force to say, 'we have got, as an international community, people on the ground, don't you dare fire into that area - let us now trigger a talk for peace'?

"...and I fear that in three or four years' time, there will be rubble in Gaza, Israel will be even more of a rogue government, but we will be no further forward."

Falconer replied that "the British government would support international forces to go into Gaza with the agreement of the parties".

Israeli president should be arrested during UK visit over 'genocide', Labour MP says

Israeli president Isaac Herzog's current visit to the UK has attracted a range of criticism, with the latest coming from a member of the British government.

Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, said Herzog was president "of a state committing genocide, that has also carried out illegal attacks on other sovereign nations".

She added: "We should not be welcoming him, but arresting and investigating him for war crimes. It's beyond time to hold Israeli politicians to account."

Responding, Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said: "President Herzog is in the UK on a private visit, so I wouldn't characterise the visit as one in which the red carpet is rolled out.

"And I would just reiterate, this House, rightly, so many colleagues behind me but I'm sure in front of me as well, are so conscious of the urgency of helping people out of Gaza, ensuring that aid gets in and ensuring that there is a ceasefire.

"President Herzog is the head of state. He is not a functional part of the government. He is an important conduit to raise these concerns; the Foreign Secretary (Yvette Cooper) sought this morning, amongst other things, to ensure greater support from the Israeli government in order to get children with injuries, in order to get students out.

"These are difficult and practical matters on which we are focused."

Israel will get Hamas leaders next time, says ambassador

If Israel did not manage to kill Hamas leaders in Qatar yesterday, it will "next time", the country's ambassador to the US has said.

Yechiel Leiter told Fox News late last night: "Right now, we may be subject to a little bit of criticism.

"They'll get over it. And Israel is being changed for the better."

Israel tried to kill the political leaders of Hamas in Doha, but appear to have hit lower-ranking members instead.

That operation was especially sensitive as Qatar - a key mediator - has been hosting talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

But Leiter only appeared to double down.

"If we didn't get them this time, we'll get them the next time," he said.

Analysis: Many view this as a miscalculation by Israel

A lot has changed in Qatar in just 24 hours.

Israel brought their war with Hamas to the streets of Doha and people can't quite believe it.

The sound of explosions yesterday afternoon in a residential neighbourhood has shattered the sense of peace and security that defines life here.

It's also shattered the critical sense of trust needed in these fragile ceasefire talks.

Qatar has played a critical role as an intermediary between Israel and Hamas for the past two years and diplomatic efforts have been blown apart by this unprecedented attack.

Qatar has reacted with absolute fury, and it's shocked and angered other Gulf neighbours, who, like Qatar, stake their reputation on being hubs of regional peace and stability.

Upset in Washington

The US president is clearly unhappy, too. A strike on Qatar - a key US ally and home to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military hub in the Middle East - is seen as a dangerous escalation.

There's no suggestion permission was sought by Israel from their closest ally in Washington.

And there's little clarity as to whether they were even forewarned by the IDF, with the White House confirming they learned of the attack from their own military.

Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was then tasked with alerting Qatar immediately, but by this point it was too late. 

According to Qatar's foreign ministry, that call came 10 minutes after the first explosion was heard in Doha. 

It's clear Israel has crossed a huge diplomatic red line here.

Key Qatari role

Qatar plays a pivotal role on the international stage, packing well above its diplomatic weight for a country of its size.

It's hosted negotiations in a number of conflicts for decades, providing a safe haven for warring parties to hold talks.

Arguably, far more is achieved in Doha's many five-star hotels than on any battlefield.

But there was never any sense you were in danger here. During the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan in August 2021, I interviewed the Taliban in Doha.

It was a constructive and civil interview where their international leader presented their position to the world on Sky News.

It was vital information and there was never any sense we were at risk meeting to talk here.

Was the attack worth it?

There is so much at stake in the Israel-Hamas war. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to tallies, children are starving in Gaza and 48 Israeli hostages have not been returned home.

What was Israel thinking carrying out this attack? And was it worth it?

They claim it was a "precise strike", but none of the Hamas leadership was taken out, as they claimed was their objective.

Five lower-ranking officials were killed, along with a member of Qatar's security forces.

What it has done is left any hope of ceasefire talks in tatters.

For many, this was a huge miscalculation by Israel. 

EU chief calls for sanctions on Israel

Ursula von der Leyen has said she will seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over its war in Gaza.

"What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world," the EU Commission president said in a State of the Union speech at European Parliament.

The 27-nation bloc is divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians.

It remains to be seen if a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures.

She said she planned to freeze support to Israel given by the EU's executive branch, which doesn't need the approval of member countries.

It's not clear how much financial support the executive branch - known as the European Commission - provides Israel and what it is used for.

"We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold," she added.

"We will stop all payments in these areas, without affecting our work with Israeli civil society or Yad Vashem," referring to the Holocaust memorial.

The commission also gives support to the Palestinian Authority.

Attack threatens to derail talks - putting danger on role of mediator, think tank says

Israel's attack puts the state of negotiations in serious doubt, as we have broken down this morning (see 7.51).

New York-based think tank The Soufan Center has said today the strike has "profound strategic implications".

"...because by striking a Gulf Cooperation Council state, Israel risks undermining the Abraham Accords and unravelling the fragile normalisation framework with Arab partners," the group said.

The Abraham Accords refers to the 2020 diplomatic recognition deal between Israel and Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, which neighbours Qatar.

But the attack also raises an "uncomfortable question".

"If a state like Qatar, with its carefully cultivated neutrality and commitment to peacemaking, is punished for its role, who will dare step into the vacuum of mediation in the future?"

Russia: Israel deserves the strongest condemnation

Moscow has now chimed in on the Israeli attack on Qatar, criticising a "gross violation of international law".

The Foreign Ministry said the strike was an "encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent state" and a "step leading to further escalation and destabilisation of the situation in the Middle East".

Russia, itself carrying out an invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, said such attacks on "those whom Israel considers its enemies and opponents" deserve the "strongest condemnation".

Donald Trump said he was "very unhappy about every aspect" of the attack and would be giving a full statement today.

"The rocket attack on Qatar... cannot be perceived as anything other than an action aimed at undermining international efforts to find peaceful solutions," Russia said.

Israeli weapons 'not detected by Qatari radar'

Israel's military said it used "precise munitions and additional intelligence" in its attack on Qatar, without giving any further details.

It's not yet clear how exactly it carried out the attack, but Qatar's prime minister did give some details on their end.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, said this:

The Israeli enemy used weapons that were not detected by radar.

He didn't elaborate, but this statement suggests Israeli fighter jets could have launched so-called "stand-off" missiles from a distance.

That would give a way to strike the site without actually entering Qatari airspace.

The US said it warned Qatar before the strike, but the Qataris dispute that.

Sheikh Mohammed said "the Americans sent a message 10 minutes after the attacks took place, saying they were informed that there was going to be a missile attack on the state of Qatar".

The country maintains a major arsenal of air defence systems, including both US-made Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence - or THAAD - batteries.

But it doesn't appear air defences were engaged during the attack.

We'll destroy Gaza if Hamas doesn't agree deal now - Israeli minister

Despite widespread international criticism of Israel's attack on Qatar, the country's defence minister has appeared to double down. 

In a brief statement this morning, Israel Katz has warned their "long arm" will "act against its enemies anywhere".

"There is no place where they can hide," he added.

"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."

He said Hamas doesn't accept Israel's conditions for ending the war, then they will be "annihilated" and Gaza "will be destroyed".

Images and video from Gaza show large swathes of the territory have already been devastated by Israeli attacks, with more than 60% of buildings there estimated to have been damaged or destroyed - and entire neighbourhoods reduced to unrecognisable wastelands of rubble.

We've outlined in the posts below what that deal Katz refers to entails, and why yesterday's attack places it in doubt.

-SKY NEWS