The Israeli military struck another multi-story building in Gaza City on Wednesday, as Israeli officials vowed to continue targeting Hamas leaders despite an earlier unsuccessful attempt to target officials in Qatar on Tuesday.

The offensive expanded into the city, home to nearly one million people. Tayba II Tower, a residential building near the Rimal neighborhood, was destroyed in the attack. The Israel Defense Forces stated that it had struck the building, claiming Hamas had installed intelligence-gathering equipment there.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of strikes on high-rise structures throughout Gaza, many of which have sheltered displaced families. Israel alleges Hamas has installed surveillance cameras on the buildings to monitor Israeli troop movements.

Residents were given less than an hour's evacuation warning ahead of the strike. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, issued the alert in Arabic on the social media platform X.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday's attempted assassination of senior Hamas figures in Qatar was part of an operation dubbed "Fire Summit" aimed at killing the group's top leadership. "Israel's security policy is clear: Israel's long arm will act against its enemies everywhere. There is no place for them to hide," he said.

Katz said Israel will continue to pursue all Hamas members involved in the attack on October 7, 2023, that left about 1,200 people dead. He warned that unless Hamas accepted Israel's conditions for ending the war – which he said were primarily the release of all hostages and disarmament – "they will be destroyed and Gaza will be destroyed."

A rare rebuke

The strike in Qatar cast doubt on Gaza ceasefire talks, after Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, announced it was suspending negotiations.

The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump did not agree with Israel's decision to take military action and had warned Qatar in advance of the incoming strikes. Trump said he was "not thrilled about the whole situation". In a post on social media, he insisted that "this was a decision made by Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me".

But Doha said it had not received the warning from Washington until the attack was already under way.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sought to justify the decision, telling an Israeli radio station: "We don't always act in the interests of the United States."

"It was not an attack on Qatar; it was an attack on Hamas," Danon told 103FM. "It is too early to comment on the outcome, but the decision is the right one," he added.

Qatar's prime minister said it reserved the right to respond to the attack, which it said constituted a "pivotal moment" for region.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over the dire situation.

Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, hit back, writing on X that Europe was sending "the wrong message that strengthens Hamas and the radical axis in the Middle East".

Israel's assault has killed more than 64,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and reduced much of the enclave to rubble and pushed the population toward famine.

(With input from agencies)