On Sept. 9, the Israeli military carried out an airstrike targeting leaders of the militant group Hamas in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Loud explosions rocked the city early in the morning, while Qatari officials confirmed that a member of its Internal Security Force was killed alongside several other officials who were injured. 

Hamas representatives claimed that its top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, was also among those killed in the attack.

The airstrike was the first time the Israeli military targeted Doha since the October 2023 attack by Hamas that left over 1,270 Israelis dead and 270 others taken hostage. 

It marks a major escalation that was condemned by the United States, despite its support for the Israeli military amid rising casualty numbers in Gaza. 

The official White House statement said that a strike on a sovereign nation that had been the place of negotiation between the two sides “does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”

While Qatar Airways planes continued to land throughout the day, the U.S. embassy released a statement telling diplomatic staff in Doha to shelter in place. 

Any American citizens in Doha are also advised to do the same; a shelter-in-place order means that those in the area need to stay where they currently are or quickly find an indoor location to do so.

“U.S. citizens are advised to shelter-in-place”: U.S. Embassy

“We have seen reports of missile strikes occurring in Doha,” the U.S. Embassy in Qatar wrote on the social media platform X. “The U.S. Embassy has instituted a shelter-in-place order for their facilities. U.S. citizens are advised to shelter-in-place and monitor @USEmbassyDoha social media for updates.”

In the hours following the attack, Israel has intercepted launches coming toward its territory from Yemen and had air-raid sirens near the site of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. Qatari officials condemned the attack as “cowardly” and said they will assess how or whether to continue negotiations with Israel going forward.

State Department has “worldwide” travel advisory, globe on high alert

While the U.S. State Department assigns Qatar the lowest level one “exercise normal precautions” ranking (the oil-rich country is a popular tourist destination among luxury travelers), the entire area in the Middle East has been on high alert since the last escalation of strikes between Israel and Iran in June 2025.

On June 23, a U.S. air base in Qatar was hit by Iran after the Trump administration dropped a series of “bunker-buster” bombs on the fuel enrichment facilities of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan used for the country’s nuclear program.

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Amid the escalation, the U.S. State Department put out a “worldwide” travel advisory warning against “potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad” as well as “periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East.”

Qatar Airways flights into Hamad International Airport in Doha continued largely unaffected throughout Tuesday, while U.S.-based airlines have been sporadically trying to restart service to Israel amid repeated escalations and ceasefires over the last two years.

United Airlines  (UAL)  and Delta Air Lines  (DAL)  resumed several flights into Tel Aviv earlier in the year. American Airlines  (AAL)  has delayed restarting due to ongoing threats in the region.

Related: New travel advisory tells Americans not to travel to Israel