Qatar has played a double game in the Middle East for a long time. They claim to be a neutral broker in seeking peace between Israel and Hamas, yet the leadership of Hamas lives a luxurious lifestyle in Qatar. That luxurious lifestyle ran into a major snag recently.

On Tuesday, Red State reported:

A series of explosions rocked Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday as Israel targeted the living quarters of senior members of Hamas.

The Israeli Defense Forces posted the following on X:

The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) and ISA (Israeli Security Agency) conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization.  

For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel.  

Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence. 

The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.

The article concludes:

If Qatar did approve the attacks, it indicates Hamas has nowhere left to run. It also suggests that the war in Gaza is not playing as well in the Arab world as it is in Manhattan and London.

Eliminating the top layer of Hamas leadership marks a departure from the past in two ways. First, it sends a signal that the days of cosplaying as a revolutionary while enjoying five-star meals and Russian hookers are over. Second, it means that Israel and Trump have decided that the Doha-based leadership were not good-faith negotiating partners, and they’ve decided to roll the dice on what comes next. I think that also has larger implications for the Ukraine war, where US policy since 2022 has been focused on Putin’s political survival.

It remains to be seen if Israel can turn this strategic masterstroke into operational gains and released hostages. It will take a couple of weeks for Hamas’s head to stop spinning and decide if the continued war is in its best interests.

Hopefully, this will bring the release of the hostages and the end of the war.