Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-11 at 00:07

HEADLINES
Doha strike targets Hamas leaders mediation risk
Gaza flotilla attacked humanitarian crisis widens
Eliabeth Tsurkov Returns to Israel

The time is now 8:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

This is the 8:00 PM update. In a volatile regional arc, Washington, Jerusalem, and their partners are weighing several converging crises as the Gaza war enters a critical phase and diplomacy remains fragile.

On the Gaza front, Israeli and Palestinian civilians remain in the crossfire as negotiators seek to preserve a US-backed ceasefire framework. A high-profile strike in Doha targeted Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss a hostage ceasefire plan, prompting intense international reaction. Israel described the strike as a strike against Hamas leadership, while acknowledging that it did not appear to eliminate every target. Saudi and Qatari outlets reported that some senior Hamas figures were wounded, though Hamas officials said their leadership remained intact. Qatar’s government and its foreign minister warned that the attack undermined mediation efforts and could jeopardize negotiations over hostages and a ceasefire. The United Nations and major European partners urged restraint and decried violations of sovereignty, underscoring the fragility of efforts to halt fighting and secure the hostages. In Washington, officials publicly expressed concern about how the operation was conducted, even as they reiterate support for a goal: ending Hamas’s leadership’s influence in Gaza and advancing a pathway to hostage relief. President Trump, while signaling sympathy for Israel’s security aims, told Prime Minister Netanyahu that striking Hamas inside Qatar was not wise, according to multiple reports; the exchange reflected widening tensions in US policy circles over the best path to a durable outcome. Netanyahu, for his part, framed Israel’s actions as part of a global effort to confront Islamist terrorism and urged regional partners to press Hamas to relinquish its leadership and end the war. The episode has heightened regional tensions, with Doha warning that such actions threaten mediation and hostage discussions, and with some Gulf partners signaling a reevaluation of their roles in the mediation process.

In domestic Israeli politics, Prime Minister Netanyahu has faced probing questions about the country’s future diplomatic posture in the wake of the Doha strike and the broader war. In parallel, former prime ministers and security figures have weighed in on how Israel should balance security imperatives with ongoing negotiations over hostages and a ceasefire. A separate domestic report highlighted defense officials acknowledging strategic missteps in prior months, as border communities brace for possible further escalations.

In US domestic and allied diplomacy, the White House has been navigating a difficult line: supporting Israel’s security objectives while seeking to prevent a broader regional reaction that could derail hostage talks and any ceasefire proposal. The administration, along with European partners, has urged restraint and insisted that mediation remains essential to securing a stable path out of the current crisis. The Wall Street Journal and other outlets have described a growing frustration inside some circles in Washington with how Israel has managed its timing and communication around strikes, even as the administration continues to emphasize the importance of alliance with Israel and the goal of an enduring peace through strength.

Elsewhere in the region, Tunisia reported that an assault on a Gaza aid flotilla vessel was orchestrated and that drone strikes on one of the flotilla’s ships caused a fire, with no injuries reported. The United Nations and international observers cautioned that any action perceived as violations of sovereignty complicates humanitarian logistics and...