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Israel weighed plans to eliminate senior Hamas officials on Turkish soil before carrying out what appears to have been a failed assassination attempt in Qatar earlier this week, according to Egyptian sources cited by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar on Thursday.
The sources said the strike in Doha two days ago was executed as an alternative to an operation that had been planned for Türkiye. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers reportedly believed the U.S. administration would be better positioned to manage the fallout from an attack in Qatar compared to a similar operation in Türkiye, which could have escalated due to Türkiye's NATO membership and imposed significant political and economic costs on Israel.
Meanwhile, Egyptian officials warned American counterparts that any attempt to conduct operations on Egyptian territory similar to the Qatar strike would result in "catastrophic consequences," the sources said. Cairo expressed its intention to host Palestinian faction leaders and provide them protection within its borders.
The developments come as Hamas sources indicated Thursday that the organization's leadership has agreed to resume negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal, despite the apparent assassination attempt in Qatar.
Speaking to the pro-Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Hamas officials said talks should restart "in a manner consistent with Palestinian demands, ensuring a complete cessation of war and withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip."
The sources added that Hamas would renew contact with mediators in the coming days once the situation stabilizes following the Qatar incident, allowing negotiation efforts to resume. Internal consultations will be held to determine how to manage the talks to ensure the demand for ending the war in Gaza is met.
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Separately, sources told the pro-Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Egypt would not completely close the door on negotiations but would not allow the current situation to continue unchanged after the Doha strike.
"Egypt does not choose its partners in Israel, but it chooses how and when to deal with them," the sources said, clarifying that as long as Netanyahu continues his current policies, Egypt's engagement with him will be minimal in a way that serves Egypt's national security interests.
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