One would think that by now, the term “unprecedented” would no longer be necessary when discussing Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people, its continuous genocide in Gaza, and its attacks on other Middle Eastern nations that attempt to address the first two. But the Zionist state continues to break new records. At least five Hamas members were reportedly killed in an airstrike on Qatar on Tuesday. According to reports, the attack targeted senior Hamas officials, including the organization’s main negotiator and Gaza leader.

If one believes that Palestinians in general are not the aim, it appears to have failed to murder its intended targets; yet, it was able to kill the son of the main negotiator for Hamas. According to reports, three additional bodyguards have also lost contact, and Qatar’s Interior Ministry reports that one member of the nation’s security forces was killed and others were hurt while responding to the Israeli strikes. Nevertheless, the strike’s true significance is found in the reckless purpose it exhibits and its consequences for the stability of the rest of the region, regardless of how successful it is. Given its strong ties to its primary supporter, the United States, many would have believed that an attack on Qatar would be unacceptable even for Israel. Others may have felt that striking a nation that has been instrumental in mediating peace negotiations and targeting those attempting to negotiate a ceasefire would be excessive. It hasn’t been like this. Nothing seems to be off the table in relation to Israel. The US has attempted to disassociate itself from the Israeli attack, with President Trump claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made the choice on his own and that the attack did not excite him. However, the US has not publicly condemned the attack.

Although the Israelis informed the US of the attack, Qatar claims it was not informed until after the attack had begun, and its prime minister has threatened to retaliate against Israel over the deadly attack. Nearly every nation in the area, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and Pakistan, has so far denounced the Israeli strike. China, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the United Nations have also done so. The speaker of the Israeli Knesset posted a video of the Israeli strikes on Doha on social media, captioning it in Arabic and saying, “This is a message for the entire Middle East,” to give one a clearer idea of what the Israelis are thinking. Even if Hamas officials were not killed in the strike on Qatar, Israel would prevail “next time,” according to the Israeli ambassador to the US. The dangers are obvious without even having to read between the lines. Now it’s open to everyone in the area. The US is still absent and, regrettably, it arguably counts for the most, even though it is heartening to see the region and the world uniting in denouncing the most recent Israeli violation. Israel is losing allies every day. The core of the violence is still Gaza, even as Israel keeps escalating the confrontation throughout the region. When will it all be sufficient?