After Doha Strike - This is Where Hamas Leaders Are Hiding Now

The apparent failure of Israel's recent strike on Hamas's headquarters in Doha has led to a profound change in regional dynamics, as Egypt has taken unprecedented security measures to protect Palestinian leaders on its soil. According to Palestinian sources, Egyptian intelligence has recently reinforced its security apparatus around senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials in Cairo, including Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhaleh.

This move signals a major shift in Egypt's regional policy, transitioning from its role as a "relatively neutral mediator" to a "protective state" for what it calls "the resistance." The message from Egyptian intelligence to Jerusalem and Washington was direct: any attempt to harm Palestinian leaders on Egyptian soil, whether direct or indirect, will result in "very serious consequences." This protection is not limited to Islamic Jihad; leaders from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have also moved their operations to Cairo, where they are under the direct protection of Egyptian intelligence.

The decision to protect Ziad al-Nakhaleh is particularly notable. The 72-year-old is considered a top-three target for assassination by Israel and is designated a "senior global terrorist" by the U.S., which has offered a multi-million dollar reward for information leading to his capture. Al-Nakhaleh, who has deep ties to Iran and Hezbollah, maintains an independent and more aggressive policy toward Israel than Hamas.

Meanwhile, days after the strike in Qatar's capital, the fate of the senior Hamas leaders remains unconfirmed. While Hamas officially stated that leader Khalil al-Hayya survived, no visual evidence has been released. According to Gulf sources, the Qataris have imposed strict security rules on the entire affair, confining the Hamas leadership to a secure compound without phones or other communication devices.

The uncertainty in Qatar's role as a mediator has led some within the Israeli security establishment to consider an alternative. The crisis with Qatar could be leveraged to position Egypt as the leading mediator with Hamas for a hostage deal, a path previously recommended by some top military and intelligence officials. This comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that the goal of eliminating Hamas leadership, wherever they are located, remains a top priority. In a social media post, he wrote that getting rid of them would "remove the main obstacle to the release of the hostages and the end of the war."