On September 17th, a seemingly ordinary Middle Eastern night, a bruised face appeared on Al Jazeera's live footage. Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, smiled and sat into the interview seat with the scars he had just crawled out of the Israeli missile pile.
This is not a simple media appearance, but a resounding counterattack.
Just eight days ago, his conference room was bombed by 12 precision missiles in a row, and Israel thought it was finally "catching the big fish", but didn't think the fish not only swam, but also personally boarded the shore to hold a press conference.
This "narrow escape" drama is not only Hamad's personal victory, but also a meaningful "bright move" on the Middle East chessboard.
A blue face, behind a strategic twist.
At the moment the bomb fell, Hamas senior officials were at the conference table reviewing a new round of ceasefire draft proposed by the United States. It is obviously no coincidence that Israel chose this precise timing to take action.
From the viewpoint of the attack, it was entirely a "typical cutting-edge operation" type of strike: 8 F-15s and 4 F-35Is, launched an airborne ballistic missile with a range of more than 1,400 kilometers, dropped 12 warheads in a minute, directly destroyed the target building to the ground.
Israel claimed to have been preparing for several months, but the top Hamas officials were able to evacuate a few minutes before the explosion, obviously not by luck.
Behind this ability to “pre-perceive” is more like a breach of intelligence—or Israel’s own information has been countered, or the U.S. has ventilated it in advance.
Either way, there is only one result: Hamad is not dead, Hamas is not scattered, but there is one more propaganda opportunity for "Rebirth in Fire". Hamad's appearance is a deliberately arranged "strategic ceremony".
In the broadly influential Arabic interface of the Peninsula TV, he relentlessly describes how he escaped the sea of fire in a state of “I’m okay” in response to the “you’re done” that Israel wanted to convey.
This not only stabilized the morale of Hamas supporters, but also turned what was supposed to be a "beheading victory" military operation into an embarrassing defeat in public relations.
This is not the first time that armed groups in the Middle East have been good at turning military defeat into public opinion advantage.
But the difference this time is that Hamad’s wounded face symbolizes not only survival, but also Hamas’ resilience, Israeli intelligence gaps, and a new phase of chaos in the Middle East’s geopolitics.
Missiles landed in Doha, shaking not only Qatar
The attack took place in Doha, Qatar’s capital, and it’s no secret that Hamas has a political office in Qatar.
Qatar has always regarded itself as a "mediator in the Middle East", which can not only deal with Iran, but also keep in touch with the United States and Israel.
The attack directly touched the bottom line of Qatar's sovereignty, and the Emir of Qatar made a rare voice, warning that if they dare to drop bombs in Doha today, they may do it in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi tomorrow.
This is not a slant, but a signal to the entire Gulf nation: no one can save himself.
This security concern is spreading across the Gulf countries, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have normalized their relations with Israel, but the incident has led them to start re-evaluating the risk of “relying too close to Israel.”
And Qatar’s anger could also push it to become more diplomatically firm with Palestinians, and even increase its pressure on Israel through money, media, and political means.
Even more embarrassing is the United States.Israel informed the United States just before the attack launched, and the White House immediately dismissed it afterwards.
This statement of the Trump administration reveals two signals: one is that Israel is no longer “waiting” for the U.S. green pass, and the other is that the U.S. is trying to maintain the confidence of its Gulf allies and avoid being completely excluded from the Middle East game.
The Israeli government said the attack was a just punishment for the planners of the "Aqsa flood" attack, but there were voices in the country to question the timing and effect.
The Red Shield group, which represents the hostage families, said the attack destroyed their last hope of returning home, reflecting a clear question: the boundary between political calculation and military strikes is becoming increasingly blurred.
The response of the international community is also rarely unanimous. The UN Security Council unanimously passed the condemnation resolution with 15 votes, and the United States also voted in favor. The EU not only strongly protested, but also suspended bilateral aid to Israel and even proposed to remove Israel's preferential treatment in the European market.
This shows a reality: even Israel's traditional allies cannot accept its military expansion that "ignores sovereignty".
Behind the spread of war is the total collapse of the peace mechanism
The bigger problem is the fatal impact of this attack on the peace process. After Hamad appeared, Hamas officially announced that it would suspend all negotiations.
In the interview, Hamad bluntly stated that the United States is no longer a credible middleman. This is not an emotional statement, but an indication that Hamas no longer believes that there is any way out through diplomatic channels.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate.The Israeli military is stepping up its ground offensive against Gaza City, cutting off communications, power outages, and blocking traffic.
Al-Qassam Brigades, a subsidiary of Hamas, issued a warning: If the Israeli army continues to advance, it will no longer guarantee that it can "guarantee the safety of the hostages." The subtext behind this is clear: if you call again, we won't talk about it.
Even more alarming is the “outflow” trend of the conflict, with Israel launching airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar, Yemen and Gaza within 72 hours.
This “multi-line fighting” is clearly not a temporary decision, but a strategic choice.The question is, is Israel really capable of coping with a multi-faceted rebel?
Hamas is not an isolated organization, it is backed by Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and a number of Gulf nations in secret.
As the Chinese representative pointed out at the United Nations, war is not a game, and the safety of civilian lives is not a bargaining chip. If all parties in the region fail to calm and restrain themselves, the situation will get out of control.
Ironically, officials inside Israel have begun to think of “post-war order.”Israeli Treasury Minister Smotrich has publicly said that Gaza could become a “property-rich mine” in the future.
These remarks not only exposed the extreme right's territorial ambitions, but also completely tore off the mask of the so-called "anti-terrorism". This is not a fight against Hamas, this is a covet of land.
When the mediation mechanism fails, negotiation channels are interrupted, and military operations escalate, the entire Middle East is sliding towards a more dangerous critical point than 2023. Peace is no longer a paper issue on the negotiating table, but a luxury in the smoke.
The wounds on Hamad’s forehead will eventually heal, but the strategic consequences of the attack are far more severe than a “defeat operation”.Israel wants to resolve the problem by force, but the result is public opinion, diplomatic constraints, and regional contradictions.
In a time when even Qatar is no longer safe, none of the parties can rely on force alone.Hamas’ “survival” is not a simple counterattack, but a reminder from the Middle East pattern: the issue of trying to solve with bombs ends up at the negotiating table.
Otherwise, today is Doha, and where tomorrow will be, no one can say exactly.
The reference information:
“Racket attacks continue” Hamas high-ranking talks about the details of the attack in Qatar September 18, 2025
First public appearance after the attack on Hamas executives: 12 missiles hit in one minute September 18, 2025 16:39 Observer.com