By Helen Regan, CNN

(CNN) — Israel launched a series of strikes targeting Hamas’ leadership in the Qatari capital Tuesday, in an unprecedented attack inside the territory of an important US ally and key mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks.

Israel took the unusual step of swiftly claiming responsibility for the strikes saying it was part of an operation dubbed “Summit of Fire.”

Hamas said six people were killed, including five of its members but the strike failed to assassinate the negotiating delegation.

Several nations have condemned the attack, with Qatar calling the strikes “state terrorism.” US President Donald Trump said he was “not thrilled about the whole situation.”

Israel’s latest attack on the soil of another nation has threatened to derail renewed ceasefire talks as well as efforts to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Hamas captivity. The strike came hours after Israel ordered the complete evacuation of Gaza City, where thousands of people are living in man-made famine conditions, ahead of its planned military takeover.

Here’s what to know.

What happened?

Israel’s strikes in Doha hit the upscale residential neighbourhood of West Bay Lagoon that, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, housed several members of the Hamas political bureau.

Hamas leaders have openly used the Qatari capital as a headquarters outside of Gaza for years, and at the time the militant group said its negotiators were reviewing a recent ceasefire proposal backed by Trump.

One of the main targets of the strike was Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, but he was not listed among the dead.

Five Hamas officials were killed in the strike, including Al-Hayya’s son and the director of his office, the group said. A Qatari security official died in the strike as well.

The attack was “months in the making,” and involved more than 10 fighter jets which fired more than 10 munitions, Israeli sources told CNN. Qatar’s Prime Minister said that Israel used weapons that went undetected by radar.

The jets required mid-air refueling for the long-range strike, an Israeli official said, and they all struck a single target in Doha.

Why was the attack controversial?

The nature of the attack was unprecedented.

Qatar has long history of being neutral territory for thorny diplomatic negotiations, including hosting an office for the Afghan Taliban during secretive talks with the US.

The emirate is one of only two regional mediators leading the sole diplomatic track trying to bring an end to the war in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. It maintains direct channels with the US, Israel and Hamas and has hosted countless rounds of negotiations.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari denied receiving prior notification of the strike, calling reports that suggested otherwise “baseless.”

Israel’s strikes on Qatar are the first known attack by Israel on a Gulf Arab state. CNN global affairs analyst Brett McGurk said the strike was “against a location known to the US and Israel in the capital of a country that works closely with both.”

Qatar is also host to the largest US base in the Middle East and has enjoyed a very strong relationship with the US for decades.

The attack could have a chilling effect in the region and raises concerns that if a close US ally, such as Qatar, can come under attack by another US ally Israel, who might be next?

What will this mean for ceasefire talks and hostages?

Israel’s strike threatens to derail negotiations to end the war in Gaza which, according to some sources, were reaching an inflection point.

A top Qatari diplomat, Hamad Al-Muftah, said the strike was “clearly designed to undermine the peace negotiations” in the enclave. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said the attack has changed the landscape of current ceasefire talks.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it brings the mediation to a standstill,” Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) told CNN.

Hamas said that the strike would not change its demands for a ceasefire deal.

This weekend, the US proposed a new ceasefire framework, which Israel has accepted.

Meanwhile, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said family members were following developments in Doha “with deep concern and heavy anxiety.” The mother of one Israeli hostage said the strike could serve as a death sentence for her son.

What has the US said?

President Trump has sought to distance himself from Israel’s attack in Qatar. The White House initially said the decision was made by Israel’s leader and that the US learned of it too late to intervene.

Trump was informed of the strike only shortly before it began — and not by Israel itself, but by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a US official.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said attacking inside Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”

But the US president did not explicitly condemn the attack.

“I’m not thrilled about the whole situation. It’s not a good situation. But I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down,” Trump told reporters this evening outside Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Washington, DC.

How has the world reacted?

Qatar’s Prime Minister Al-Thani was visibly angry as he described the attack, which he called “state terrorism.” He said his country’s tradition of diplomacy “won’t be deterred,” but implied that current talks on Gaza have an uncertain path.

“This attack and this targeting has surpassed not just international law but moral standards,” Al-Thani said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, portrayed the attack as a peacemaking action that “can open the door to an end of the war in Gaza.” His office earlier clarified that the strike was “a wholly independent Israeli operation.”

Globally – and in stark contrast to the US response – Israel is facing growing backlash.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, as did several European leaders and Asian nations. Numerous Arab countries also warned such attacks could undermine regional security. Vice President of the Palestinian Authority Hussein Al Sheikh said the strike “constitutes a serious violation of international law and Qatar’s sovereignty.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Israel’s attack on Doha “directly imperil” efforts to advance peace and security in the region.

What does this mean for Gaza?

With a ceasefire agreement now on rocky ground, Israel continues to push ahead with its expanded assault on Gaza, in defiance of domestic and international opposition.

The strikes came as Israel on Tuesday ordered a complete evacuation of Gaza City, home to around a million Palestinians, ahead of its planned military takeover which it said is key to defeating Hamas.

Palestinians in Gaza City are facing further mass displacement as starvation rapidly spreads through the densely-populated city.

The UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has warned that an Israeli escalation in Gaza City would lead to “more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes.”

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CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Max Saltman, Sarah El Sirgany, Abeer Salman, Tal Shalev, Dana Karni, Kristen Holmes, Kevin Liptak, Andrew Potter, Kylie Atwood, Christian Edwards, Paula Newton and Billy Stockwell contributed reporting.