‘Not a Decision Made By Me’: Trump Rebukes Israel Over Qatar Strike

President Donald Trump issued an unusually public rebuke of Israel on Tuesday after its military carried out an airstrike in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in an attempt to assassinate senior Hamas leaders. The strike, which Hamas said killed at least five people, jolted one of Washington’s closest Gulf allies and threatened to unravel fragile negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza.

“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,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social hours after the strike. 

“I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack,” the President added, noting that the decision to strike inside Qatar was made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It was not a decision made by me,” Trump clarified.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed it had carried out what it described as a “precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization.” Israeli officials said the target was a building long known as a Hamas meeting site, code-named “Judgment Day,” and claimed Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator, had been in their sights.

But the decision to launch the attack on Qatari soil reverberated instantly through the region and inside the White House, where officials said the strike risked derailing delicate diplomacy. Qatar’s Interior Ministry said that a member of its internal security forces was killed in the strike. Roughly 10,000 American troops are also stationed in Qatar at Al Udeid Air Base.

Tuesday’s bombing in Doha was the first time Israel had directly attacked in the territory of a Gulf Arab nation closely aligned with Washington. In recent months, Israel has struck Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon, Houthi strongholds in Yemen, and Iranian nuclear facilities.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the Trump Administration was notified shortly before the strike by the U.S. military. She initially said Trump had directed special envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar of an “impending attack,” but later clarified that the call was placed only after U.S. military officials informed the White House the bombing was already underway.

Qatar, which has played host to Hamas’s political office since 2012 at the request of the United States, denied that it had advance notice of a strike, according to Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. “The call from a U.S. official came during the sound of explosions caused by the Israeli attack in Doha,” he said. “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.”

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, told Trump in a phone call that his country would “take all necessary measures to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty,” according to a readout of the conversation shared by Qatar. He warned that Israel’s action had not only targeted Hamas but also undermined the emirate’s painstaking role as mediator.

For months, Qatari officials have been shuttling between Hamas, Israel, and the United States to negotiate a ceasefire that could secure the release of roughly 20 remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. 

Hamas leaders, Qatari officials said, were meeting to discuss Trump’s latest proposal when the building in Doha was struck. “The cowardly assassination attempt will not change our clear positions and demands,” Hamas said in a statement afterward.

Hamas said the attack killed the son of its chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and his office director but left senior leaders unharmed. Only hours earlier, Hamas had claimed responsibility for a shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop that killed six people, a strike Israeli officials said was a trigger for the bombing. 

Several nations condemned the Israeli strike. The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, called the strike a “dangerous assault on international law” and a “reckless escalation.” Saudi Arabia denounced it as “brutal.” Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the action as a violation of Qatari sovereignty and urged an “immediate cease-fire, the release of hostages, and a surge in humanitarian aid to Gaza.” António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, described it as a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s territorial integrity.

Trump wrote that eliminating Hamas was “a worthy goal” but stressed that it should not come at the expense of America’s allies or broader efforts to end the war. “I want ALL of the Hostages, and bodies of the dead, released, and this War to END, NOW!” he said, adding that Netanyhu told him that he wants to make peace. “I believe this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for PEACE.”