DUBAI (Dispatches) -- The UAE is reportedly considering a request from Qatar to close its embassy in Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israel’s strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, Haaretz reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources in the Persian Gulf.
An Israeli strike on Tuesday targeted senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and others as they met in Doha to discuss the latest U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hayya’s son and four other lower-ranking Hamas members were killed. However, Hayya and other senior officials survived. A Qatari security force member was also killed in Israel’s illegal attack.
Qatar is now asking its Persian Gulf neighbor, the UAE, to close its embassy in Tel Aviv and recall Israeli ambassador Yossi Shelley. “The gloves are off,” a diplomat speaking with Haaretz said.
On Friday, the UAE summoned the Israeli deputy ambassador, David Ohad Horsandi, while condemning Israel’s “outrageous attack” and hostile statements against Qatar.
Officials in Doha also lashed out at Washington, saying Qatar may “re-evaluate” its security ties to the U.S. after the Israeli strike on its capital, according to sources cited by Axios.
“Qatar’s prime minister told the White House his country would now re-evaluate its security partnership with Washington,” the outlet reported.
Since October 7, Israel has accused Qatar of supporting “terrorism” for hosting Hamas.
But Qatari officials expressed anger following the Israeli strike, saying that both the U.S. and Israel had specifically asked Doha to host Hamas political leaders to allow the Washington and Tel Aviv to monitor them more easily.
“From Doha’s perspective, accusing Qatar of hosting Hamas leaders is seen as a knife in the back and could affect continued cooperation with Mossad as well as other interactions between the emirate and Israel,” Haaretz writes.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself pursued a policy of funding Hamas via payments to Qatar, saying that it was part of a strategy to keep Palestinians divided and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. 
“Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas,” Netanyahu told a meeting of his Likud party members in March 2019. 
“This is part of our strategy – to isolate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians in the West Bank,” he added.
“We have neighbors,” Netanyahu said, “who are our bitter enemies ... I send them messages all the time ... these days, right now ... I mislead them, destabilize them, mock them, and then hit them over the head.” 
“It’s impossible to reach an agreement with them ... Everyone knows this, but we control the height of the flames.”