Former US security official says Israel targeted entire Hamas leadership, risked derailing Trump peace efforts
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A former senior U.S. Department of Homeland Security official said Wednesday that Israel's strike on Qatar targeting Hamas leaders was designed to eliminate the militant group's entire political leadership, despite knowing it would derail peace negotiations favored by President Donald Trump.
Thomas Warwick, who served in senior government positions including during Trump's first administration, told ABC's Afternoon Briefing that Israel pursued the controversial operation for strategic reasons while essentially gambling on Trump's response.
"It thought it was going to be able to strike at the entire political leadership of Hamas, which it holds responsible for the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack that killed more Jews than any incident since the Holocaust," Warwick said during the interview. "And so that was, from Israel's standpoint, a very strategic target."
The expert assessment came as Australian leaders from both major parties condemned Israel's violation of Qatar's sovereignty, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Nationals leader David Littleproud expressing concern the action could undermine peace efforts.
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Strategic Calculations Behind Strike
Warwick, who said he served "two and a third years in the first Trump administration," identified three potential motivations behind Israel's decision to target Hamas leaders in Doha despite widespread international opposition.
Beyond eliminating Hamas leadership, Warwick said Israel had "given up on the idea that Hamas will agree to the terms that Israel has laid down, which I have to say have been joined in by Arab League countries, European countries, and the United States that Hamas must lay down its weapons."
He described Hamas's refusal to disarm as "a big issue that's holding up a peace settlement at the moment, with everyone else except Hamas saying Hamas must disarm and give up power in Gaza, but Hamas continues to say it will never give up its arms."
Most significantly, Warwick suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have deliberately sought to derail peace talks, knowing Trump administration officials were "very interested in reaching some kind of deal."
"The final possibility is that Prime Minister Netanyahu probably knew that this would derail any peace talks," Warwick said. "Obviously, this strike on Tuesday is going to put that sometime into the future."
Trump Administration Response
Warwick provided insider perspective on how the U.S. government typically handles Israeli military operations, noting it "actually isn't that unusual that Israel does not notify the United States when it takes a strike like this."
He compared the Qatar operation to recent Israeli actions against Hezbollah, saying: "Most recently, this is exactly what happened when Israel struck Hezbollah's leadership in Lebanon. It's how Israel set off pagers that killed hundreds of Hezbollah operatives. In both of those cases, the operational details were so sensitive that they were not shared."
According to Warwick, Israel provided only general advance notice, telling the United States "we are prepared to take strikes against senior Hamas leadership anywhere in the world we can find them."
"It didn't occur to the Trump administration to say, don't attack them in Qatar," Warwick explained. "But what that left was Israel thinking that it had permission to go ahead with this, when in fact that was absolutely not what Donald Trump wanted to see."
The former official described Trump's subsequent response as decisive, noting the president "spoke to Netanyahu after the strike and then a few minutes later called up the Emir of Qatar and promised this will never happen again."
"I connect those dots and say Trump basically read the Riot Act to Netanyahu and said, you will not do this again," Warwick said. "And I think Netanyahu has probably realized that he has crossed Trump in an area where he will need to be more careful in the future."
Australian Condemnation
The expert analysis came amid strong criticism from Australian political leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Solomon Islands.
Prime Minister Albanese said the escalation "works against efforts to resolve the conflict," adding: "The United States has made its position clear and I think they have raised the issue that this violates Qatar's sovereignty and it risks the ceasefire. I want to see peace in that region. I don't want to see an escalation."
Nationals leader David Littleproud called Israel's actions "a step too far," saying: "They are attacking the sovereignty of Qatar, who has proactively tried to broker peace. They've tried to take an opportunity of those Hamas leaders that may have been in Qatar at the time, and that doesn't make it right."
Littleproud added: "I think that Israel has to explain its actions here, and potentially setting back the peace process is one that I think the whole world will be disappointed in."
Trump's Public Messaging
Warwick interpreted Trump's public statements as deliberately signaling displeasure with Israel's unilateral action.
"When he spoke on the street corner today, flanked by his vice president and is now called secretary of war, and made it clear he was very unhappy," Warwick said, describing Trump's approach. "He's trying to signal publicly and privately that he is going to insist that Israel cooperate more with trying to get the peace talks back on track."
The former official emphasized Trump's commitment to hostage recovery, saying: "Trump is committed to trying to have some kind of resolution that frees the Israeli hostages."
However, Warwick acknowledged significant challenges ahead: "Still, it's going to take several weeks. This is not going to be an easy thing to do."
Peace Process Implications
Despite the setback, Warwick expressed cautious optimism about reviving negotiations, noting Qatar's changed position following Trump's intervention.
"President Trump wants these talks back on track," Warwick said. "He did weigh in with the emir of Qatar and got the Qataris to change their public position, saying at first they were suspending their mediation efforts, now saying they are committed to their mediation efforts. The difference being they spoke to Donald Trump in the meantime."
Warwick identified the core obstacle to peace as Hamas's unwillingness to disarm: "The real divide is Hamas does not want to give up its weapons. Israel insists that it has to. And the rest of the world at this point is lining up behind Israel."
Post-War Gaza Plan
The former official outlined emerging frameworks for post-conflict Gaza governance, describing plans based on "a July 2024 plan that the United Arab Emirates put forward, where there's international governance of Gaza."
Warwick described a multinational authority arrangement "kind of like was used in Bosnia, is put in charge of Gaza for a transitional period. Countries would commit troops. Arab countries, Australia, might be asked to contribute."
He noted Australia's potential role, saying: "Australia has excellent relations with the United Arab Emirates. And so that would be a very natural pairing that would give security to both Palestinians and Israelis, that the peace would be kept fairly and honorably."
The reconstruction process would require substantial international commitment, according to Warwick: "It's going to take billions of dollars. It's going to take years. This Riviera idea everybody knows is nonsense, including the Trump administration."
Warwick concluded that lasting peace remained achievable "but it's going to take commitments by countries including perhaps Australia, that are going to have to decide this really is important for peace in the Middle East."
The expert assessment highlighted the complex diplomatic calculations surrounding Middle East peace efforts as international leaders navigate between supporting Israeli security concerns and maintaining regional stability through established mediation channels.
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