New Details: Israel Had Rare Opportunity to Hit “Assembly of Judgment” Meeting
Months of covert tracking led to a rare chance to hit Hamas leaders at their secret “Assembly of Judgment” — Israel seized it
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Yesterday (Tuesday), Israel launched Operation “Summit of Fire”, targeting the Hamas leadership in a two-story villa in Doha, Qatar. Now it has been revealed that according to an Israeli official, it was “a rare operational opportunity given the gathering of senior leaders.”
About 15 fighter jets fired more than ten precision munitions within seconds, with aerial refueling carried out en route; all pilots returned safely to Israel.
According to Kan News, the IDF Chief of Staff and other senior officials opposed the timing of the strike, citing a newly emerging framework to release all hostages. Their objection was about timing, not the act itself. In contrast, the acting Shin Bet chief supported the operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz adopted his position, citing both the operational opportunity and positive signals from the United States.
This contradicted earlier Israeli claims of broad consensus. The IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad all declined to comment.
Before the strike, consultations took place with the Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters, led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon. The message conveyed was that “there was still room to pursue talks.” However, later reports said Alon himself was not invited to the final decision-making moments, evidence of internal differences over the move’s impact on negotiations.
At the operational level, the Chief of Staff told air force pilots: “Authorized. Go ahead - to eliminate the leaders of Hamas. We are settling a moral and ethical account on behalf of all the victims of October 7.”
Another source added: “We promised to reach all the architects of the massacre, and we are doing so. No matter who now heads Hamas abroad, the main weight shifts to Az al-Din Haddad, head of the military wing”.
The villa, codenamed “Assembly of Judgment” by intelligence, hosted Hamas leadership meetings on its second floor, near the coast. Sources said “more than ten” munitions were used; one operational account cited exactly ten. The mission was run from Shin Bet’s special operations command center in central Israel, in the presence of Netanyahu, Katz, and intelligence chiefs. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar oversaw the strike from Air Force headquarters.
Immediately after the strike, reports indicated that talks were suspended. Israeli officials assessed that Egypt may now lead mediation efforts.
Meanwhile, some hostage families met with senior Qatari officials in Washington, while others met in Doha with the Qatari prime minister.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. was updated ahead of the operation and passed word to Doha. Qatari officials denied this, saying the Emir’s first notice came only once explosions were already underway.