India condemns the violation of Qatari sovereignty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday a day after Israel struck building housing some leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Doha.

However, the statement by the prime minister posted on social media did not mention Israel.

The strikes put the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks at risk as Qatar has been a key mediator in the negotiations.

Modi’s statement came after he spoke to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to express New Delhi’s “deep concern” about the attack in Doha.

“We support resolution of issues through dialogue and diplomacy, and avoiding escalation,” Modi said.

The prime minister added that New Delhi stood “firmly in support of peace and stability” in West Asia, and against terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations”.

The strike was a “wholly independent” operation by Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office claimed after the attack. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” he said.

Qatar is a major ally of the United States and hosts one of the largest American military bases in the region. Washington is also an ally of Israel and acts as a guarantor of the country’s security.

Hamas claimed that its top leaders survived the Israeli attack, but six others were killed.

At least one of those killed was a Qatari security official, state broadcaster Al Jazeera quoted the Qatari interior ministry as saying. An unspecified number of other Qatari personnel were injured.

Condemning the attack, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the Israeli strike targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas.

“This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar,” ministry Spokesperson Majed Al Ansari had said on Tuesday.

The Qatari government said that it will “not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour” and the disruption of regional security, “nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty”.

The Israel Defense Force said that “for years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organisation’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war” against Israel.

The Israeli military claimed that prior to the strike, measures were taken “to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence”.

The Israel Defense Force said that it, alongside Tel Aviv’s intelligence agency, will continue to operate to defeat Hamas.

Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, said on Wednesday that Tel Aviv would succeed next time if it had failed to kill the Hamas leaders, Reuters reported.

Israel’s military offensive against Hamas, mainly in Gaza, began in October 2023 after the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, leaving more than 62,600 persons dead.

In August, the United Nations formally declared a famine in northern Gaza, warning that it could spread from the Gaza Governorate to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in the coming weeks.

Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks since July 6. Earlier efforts to reinstate a brief ceasefire that took effect in January had stalled due to disagreements between the two sides.