A Qatar witness recounts the shocking impact of Israel’s airstrike—“I thought the world was going to end.” Discover firsthand what unfolded, why the strike occurred, and its broader implications.
At a neighborhood barbershop in Doha, a Qatar resident—who asked to remain unnamed—recalled a moment of sheer terror. As the airstrike unfolded overhead, fear etched deep into the witness’s expression. “I thought the world was going to end,” he told a BBC reporter, capturing the raw human toll behind the headlines.
What Really Happened
On September 9, 2025, Israel carried out a rare airstrike on a residential complex in Doha’s Leqtaifiya district, aiming at senior Hamas officials. The compound, believed to be hosting a Hamas political bureau meeting tied to U.S.-led hostage negotiations, suffered heavy damage. While Hamas confirms its top leadership survived, six fatalities were reported: the son of a high-profile leader, his office director, three bodyguards, and a Qatari security officer.
Global Reactions
- Qatar condemned the strike as a blatant breach of international law and called it “cowardly.
- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the attack as a “flagrant violation of sovereignty,” urging efforts toward a ceasefire, not escalation.
- Pope Leo also stepped into the fray, calling the situation “very serious” and emphasizing the urgent need for peace.
A Witness’s Perspective
Amid the political and diplomatic fallout, the human dimension cannot be ignored. The unnamed barber’s words—“I thought the world was going to end”—echo as a visceral reminder: beyond the strategic calculations and international statements, real people felt terror, confusion, and helplessness that day.
