An Irish woman working in Doha has said that the Israeli strike on the Qatari capital was surreal, frightening and unnerving.
Israel's military said it carried out the air strikes targeting senior Hamas leaders in Doha, the venue of multiple rounds of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war.
Niamh Collins, who works in a UN agency based in Doha, said she heard a huge explosion which caused her apartment building to "wobble" at around 1.30pm local time.
"I ran to the balcony and I could see black smoke and cars going berserk and people running," she said.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Ms Collins said: "Everywhere is in lockdown, there are big safety issues for everybody, we're advised to stay where we are, go into bunkers and stay safe."
Ms Collins said the bombing was triggering for her, coming weeks after Iran's strike on Qatar.
"It's very surreal, a very strange feeling watching smoke from the skies, seeing drones that look like aliens coming in from space, very surreal, very sad, very frightening," she said.
The UN agency worker continued: "This is very unnerving, everybody is very worried, very concerned".
Ms Collins said Qatar is usually a "very peaceful, diplomatic place" and is a very safe city with lots of Irish teachers living there.
But she said she had begun to feel uneasy in recent weeks and is planning to return home to Ireland.
"I felt it for the last week or two, you can feel it in your body, you can feel an uneasiness in areas.
"I'm going to start making plans to come home within the next month, I definitely feel a change here and it's unnerving."
Qatar, which is also a key US ally, has condemned the strikes which it said targeted the homes of several members of Hamas's political bureau residing in the Gulf country, where the militant group's senior leadership is based.
The strikes were carried out jointly by the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency, the two bodies said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes in response to shooting in Jerusalem that killed six people and was later claimed by Hamas.
