The Trump administration announced that it had informed Qatari authorities before Israel carried out an airstrike on Hamas negotiators in Doha, but officials in Qatar dismissed that assertion.
The White House statement came Tuesday, only hours after Israel hit a residential district in the Qatari capital. Qatar has played a central role in mediating US-backed negotiations to end the conflict in Gaza.
“The Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately, was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” she said. “However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”
Leavitt said that President Trump had directed his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to “inform the Qataris of the impending attack”.
But Doha disputed the account, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari saying that reports of advance warning were “completely false.”
“The call that was received from an American official came during the sound of the explosions that resulted from the Israeli attack in Doha,” he wrote in a post on X.
According to Hamas, five of its members were killed in the strike, but the core negotiating team survived. Qatar’s Interior Ministry said one of those killed was a Qatari security officer. The Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as “cowardly” and denounced “any action targeting its security and sovereignty”.
Trump later expressed regret about where the strike occurred, saying he had promised Qatar it would not be repeated.
“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
He again claimed that Witkoff was instructed to alert Doha but admitted it was “unfortunately, too late to stop the attack”.
“I believe this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for PEACE,” he added.
Qatar has been central to past ceasefire agreements, including a pause in fighting in November 2023 and a six-week truce in January 2025. Its mediation efforts were praised by both the Biden administration and Trump.
The Israeli strike came only days after Trump warned Hamas negotiators to accept his new proposal for a ceasefire, accusing them of dragging their feet. Israel, meanwhile, has been accused of repeatedly disrupting the talks.
“The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well,” Trump posted on Sunday.
“I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
After the bombing, Hamas said the individuals targeted were in discussions about Trump’s offer.
The group claimed the incident “confirms beyond doubt that Netanyahu and his government do not want to reach any agreement and are deliberately seeking to thwart all opportunities and thwart international efforts”.
“We hold the US administration jointly responsible with the occupation for this crime, due to its ongoing support for the aggression and crimes of the occupation against our people,” Hamas said.
Leavitt reiterated to journalists that Trump “believes this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace.”
She confirmed that Trump spoke with Netanyahu after the strike but declined to say whether he threatened consequences for Israel.
Qatar’s Amiri Diwan later announced that Trump had also spoken with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and condemned the Israeli action.
“For his part, His Highness the Emir affirmed that the State of Qatar condemns and denounces in the strongest terms this reckless, criminal attack and considers it a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and security and a clear breach of the rules and principles of international law,” the statement read.
The emir warned that the attack endangered regional stability and undercut “efforts to de-escalate and reach sustainable diplomatic solutions”.
“Qatar will take all necessary measures to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty,” he declared.
Despite the White House explanation, Khalil Jahshan of the Arab Center Washington DC said regional perceptions would still paint the US administration as complicit.
“When Israel is given a green light to basically wreak havoc over the region and violate international law, violate sovereignty of nations that are not even enemies, but actually very close allies of the United States, one has to wonder: Where does Israel stand, and why would Israel be allowed to do that?” he said.
Qatar, a longtime advocate of Palestinian rights, was granted “major non-NATO ally” status by Washington in 2022, a designation meant to symbolize strong ties and respect.
Jahshan argued that Israel’s actions had rendered the title meaningless.
“If that status allows you to be exposed to attacks from a US ally with a US green light, then, to me, I would rather not have friends like this,” he remarked.
Qatar is home to Al Udeid airbase, the largest American military facility in the Middle East, housing US, Qatari, and British forces, with about 10,000 troops stationed there.
The Gulf state has also played a diplomatic role by hosting political offices of groups such as Hamas and the Taliban, an arrangement it has said was encouraged by Washington more than a decade ago.
Nabeel Khoury, who once served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Yemen, said the decision to hit central Doha, not far from Al Udeid, left him astonished.
“As cynical as I am and as used as I am to Israeli excesses, I have to say I was shocked,” he said. “I think everybody should be shocked and should be woken up from whatever dream they’re in to the reality that Israel has now obviously become a totally rogue state.”
Khoury suggested that the bombing would seriously harm US credibility and discourage others in the region from engaging in American-led talks.
“Honestly, I don’t see how anybody, especially in the Arab world, can continue to deal with the US,” he said.
Jahshan added that other Gulf states, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, will be compelled to react strongly or risk appearing vulnerable.
“If they allow one of them to be the target of such an attack, then they’re all targets for such attacks in the future,” he warned. “How do they proceed?”
{Matzav.com}
The White House called qatar many time but the qataris were afraid to answer their cell phones, it may have blown their heads off.