Israel’s attack on Hamas’ top leaders as they weighed a new ceasefire proposal in Qatar was the latest in a series of unprecedented measures it has taken to vanquish the militant group — all of which have so far failed.

Israel launched a series of strikes targeting Hamas’ leadership in the Qatari capital Tuesday, in an unprecedented attack inside the territory of an important US ally and key mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks.

Benjamin Netanyahu says the attack targeting Hamas leaders was "fully justified" - but Qatar calls the strike a "blatant violation".

The message taken from this strike does not end at Qatar’s borders. Nations across the Gulf, who for decades have actively pivoted towards the US, politically and financially, may now be questioning the assumed benefits of that choice.

Canada is evaluating its relationship with Israel after the attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, its foreign minister has said, in the latest sign of unhappiness with the Israeli government.

Qatar is the sixth country Israel has attacked since the Hamas massacre on 7 October 2023, when around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage. The terror attack prompted a major onslaught on Gaza in which Israel has killed around 65,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and destroyed large parts of the strip.

After Israel attacked senior Hamas leadership in Qatar on Tuesday, oil prices climbed — but not as much as some traders might have expected from a significant flare-up in Middle East violence.