On September 9, Israeli Air Force struck a residential district in Doha, capital of Qatarwhere there were several Hamas representatives in discussions about finding a solution in the Gaza conflict. The business, ordered by the Benjamin Netanyahu And it was held without any warning to Washington, it did not achieve its main goals but killed a Qatarian guard and son of Hamas. For the New York Times, this attack was a major challenge: “negotiation with a bombing of negotiators.”
Qatar, central mediator since the beginning of the war in Gauze, He immediately retired from the process and denounced Israel’s attempt to “sabotage every prospect of peace”. Egypt, Turkey and other Arab countries reacted with rage against Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu. Even the White House was taken aback: Donald Trump and his envoys were informed of the bombing in real time.
American rage and diplomatic overthrow
Until then, Trump had left Netanyahu’s great freedom in waging the war against Hamas. But Doha’s challenge has changed the data. The indignation of the Arab partners, coupled with the risk of further diplomatic isolation of Israel, prompted Washington to act. The US president and his adviser Steve Whitkov reinforced contacts with the regional mediators and set Netanyahu in his responsibilities.
Twenty days later, on September 29, Trump and Netanyahu appeared alongside the White House. Trump, faithful to his exaggeration, was talking about “a great, very big day, perhaps one of the most beautiful in the history of culture”. Netanyahu, more careful, assured that the plan “achieves Israel’s war targets”.
A Hamas divided but ready to move
At the same time, Hamas announced that Accepts several elements of the American planincluding the liberation of all Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, alive or dead. But the movement’s statement remained unclear in the issue of disarmament, a red line for Israel.
The New York Times emphasizes that this ambiguity reflects Hamas’ internal divisions: its political leadership abroad, which is more positive in compromises, and its military wing in Gaza, which refuses to hand over the weapons.
Netanyahu tries to reshape the deal
The days that preceded the official announcement were marked by strong negotiations. Netanyahu devoted hours to renegotiate the text, demanding removal of any reference to a future Palestinian state and removing wording leaving a wide margin of military action to Israel. Washington has retreated in several places, however maintaining an indefinite reference to a “credible path to Palestinian self -determination”.
But Trump imposed a symbolic term: Netanyahu had to officially apologize to Qatar for the September 9th bombing. An extremely rare concession for the Israeli prime minister, who was forced to read a statement of apology directly to the Emir of Qatar, under Trump’s eyes.
A plan still fragile
Although the Trump plan has received the support of several Arab capital, the first cracks are already appearing. Pakistan expressed its disagreement, judging that the final text did not respond to what was agreed at the Doha emergency. Other countries are afraid that the final version is too favorable to Israel.
Hamas, for her part, remains ambiguous. Its fighters, weakened but still active, continue a decentralized guerrilla war in Gaza. Some military executives even threaten to join other Palestinian organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, if an agreement is signed.
Peace or new impasse?
For the New York Times, Doha’s episode reveals the boundaries of Israeli strategy and Trump’s ability to turn a crisis into a diplomatic opportunity. At the same time, however, it also highlights the fragility of each agreement in the Middle East: between Palestinian distrust, Netanyahu’s calculations and Arab divisions, the agreement can collapse as quickly as it has been announced.
After almost two years of war, this initiative is perhaps the most serious attempt to end conflict. But it relies on a fragile balance, which can be overthrown with a single spark.