Israel Contacts Washington, Doha before Assassinating Hamas Leaders

Israel contacted the officials in Washington and Doha just a few hours before it assassinated Hamas top military commander, Ahmad al-Jabari, in Gaza on Wednesday, a European diplomat revealed on Saturday, adding that Israel contacted the two states in a bid to make the needed coordination for its terror attacks and assaults on Hamas.

The European diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of his information, was quoted by the Palestinian al-Manar daily as saying that Israel had prepared the ground for the assassination of the Hamas commander and had informed the US officials of its decision for attacking Gaza which was welcomed by Washington.

According to the report, the office of the Israeli prime minister also had a phone conversation with Qatar’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani to discuss the Israeli assault on Gaza.

The report said both phone contacts took place only 12 hours before Jabari’s assassination and the strikes on Gaza.

Also, some earlier reports revealed that the residence and offices of a number of Hamas leaders were identified during the recent visit to the Gaza Strip by Qatar’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and later targeted by Israeli missile and bomb attacks.

The emir of Qatar gifted a number of watches and ballpoint pens to Hamas leaders, which transmitted low-frequency signals to Israeli satellites, the sources, who asked to remain unnamed, told FNA, adding that the Israeli military officials would then use the received signals to spot and assassinate senior Hamas officials.

Sheikh Hamad arrived in Gaza on October 23 to become the first head of state to visit the besieged enclave since the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, took power in the territory five years ago.

Qatar’s emir has repeatedly met with Israeli leaders, and is working hard to boost the diplomatic clout of his small Persian Gulf country.

The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on Gaza Strip.
The new wave of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has claimed more than 41 lives since November 14. Ahmed al-Ja’abari, the popular and influential head of the Hamas military wing, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was assassinated in an Israeli attack on his car on Wednesday.

On Friday, Ahmed Abu Jalal, a field commander of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike on the central Gaza district of Maghazi.