Israel has launched an unprecedented airstrike in Doha, Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders gathered to discuss a US-brokered ceasefire proposal. 

While several lower-ranking Hamas members were killed, Hamas insists its top leadership survived. 

The move has drawn sharp international condemnation, with Qatar calling it a grave breach of sovereignty, the UN warning of dangerous escalation, and Gulf partners questioning U.S. reliability. 

Central to the fallout is whether the US had prior knowledge and whether Israel’s actions represent a strategic miscalculation or a deliberate gamble.

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Prof Shahram Akbarzadeh, Director, Middle East Studies Forum, Deakin University, to find out more.