In a final, high-stakes gambit, Israel is betting everything on a military victory, and the Doha strike was the moment it pushed all its chips in. By targeting Hamas negotiators, Israel has deliberately closed the last door to a diplomatic solution, signaling that the Gaza war will be won or lost on the battlefield alone.
The talks in Doha, supported by the U.S., were the last off-ramp available. They represented a cautious acknowledgment that a political settlement might be necessary to achieve a stable outcome. The strike is a bold declaration that this caution has been thrown to the wind in favor of an all-out push for a military resolution.
For Hamas, the attack removes all ambiguity. The choice is no longer between fighting and talking, but between surrender and annihilation. This ultimatum is designed to shatter their resolve but could have the opposite effect, creating a cornered adversary with nothing to lose and a will to fight to the end.
With diplomacy now defunct and the key mediator, Qatar, sidelined, the conflict is on an unalterable course of escalation. The strike was a strategic choice to eliminate the possibility of negotiation, leaving both sides in a zero-sum game where the only remaining option is to fight.