An Arabian source quoted by Israeli media revealed the reason why senior Hamas officials were lucky to escape death in an Israeli attack in the capital Doha (Qatar) on September 9. The reason was that they left the meeting room to attend the afternoon prayers, while their mobile phones were still on their desks, which led to Israel's tracking system being deceived.
Arabian media said the Hamas leaders left the meeting room shortly before the series of explosions, and leaving the phones on the spot made Israel believe the target was still in the room. Many believe that this detail helped the Hamas mission escape the airstrike.
According to Hamas, six people were killed in the attack, including an assistant and the adult son of Mr. Khalil al-Hayya, the movement's top negotiator, along with three Qatari security guards and a security officer. Hamas claimed that the enemy had failed in its plot to assassinate the brothers in the negotiating mission.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said it was too early to confirm the results but stressed that this decision is the right one. Meanwhile, many questions remain in the Arab world about why Hamas leaders did not appear publicly to prove they were alive.
However, some other sources say that Hamas officials were actually in a separate palace, not the main building targeted, and that was the reason they escaped.
Israel's airstrike in Doha is seen as an unprecedented move towards Hamas' political leadership, and shows the level of escalation of tensions in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The incident has caused fierce regional and international public debate about Israel's actions and how Hamas handles it.
