The possibility of a political settlement for the Gaza war has been foreclosed. An Israeli strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha has slammed the door on diplomacy, ending the last credible effort to find a peaceful resolution. This move ensures that the conflict’s future will be dictated by military force, not by dialogue.
After numerous false starts, the U.S.-supported talks in Doha were the final forum for a potential breakthrough. They were based on the premise that a lasting peace required a political component. The attack on the negotiators is a definitive rejection of this premise, a pivot to a strategy of seeking absolute victory through military means.
The ultimatum delivered to Hamas is now inescapable: submit or be eradicated. The strike has removed any incentive for compromise, as the prospect of a negotiated political future has been wiped out. This is a high-risk strategy that could easily prolong the conflict and deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The diplomatic machinery has ground to a halt. The role of Qatar as a mediator has been torpedoed, leaving a vacuum. The strike has successfully engineered a dead end, a situation where the only path forward is the one of continued violence. The hope for a different future has been extinguished.