The Guardian view on Israel’s attack in Doha: western passivity is allowing Netanyahu to cross every red line | Editorial

The attempt to assassinate Hamas negotiators in the capital of a US ally was the act of a rogue government uninterested in peace

Why does the PM insist on blowing up any deal that comes close?" despaired the mother of a hostage held in Gaza, following Israel's airstrike in Qatar on Tuesday. For anyone who doubted Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to the forever war he unleashed after 7October, the attempt to wipe out Hamas's ceasefire negotiation team in Doha offered grim confirmation that peace - and the return of Israeli hostages - is low on Mr Netanyahu's list of current priorities.

Just how close Hamas's leadership was to endorsing ceasefire proposals backed by Donald Trump - which were being discussed in the capital of an established US ally - is unclear. However, MrNetanyahu's strike has ensured that its negotiators will not agree to sit round a table again anytime soon. Israel swiftly stated that the attack was in response to the Hamas-claimed shooting in Jerusalem on Monday, in which six people died. But it also occurred as the Israeli military ordered the complete evacuation of Gaza City, ahead of a full-scale invasion that will bring further death and destruction to a starving, traumatised population.