White House says Trump notified Qatar before Israeli strike on Hamas

Washington, DC – The medication of US President Donald Trump has confirmed it was notified earlier Israel’s attack connected Hamas negotiators successful Qatar, but said it did not hold with the decision.

The connection connected Tuesday came hours aft the onslaught connected a residential country successful the Gulf country’s capital, Doha. Qatar has been a pb mediator successful US-backed ceasefire talks aimed astatine ending the warfare successful Gaza.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Will Trump’s caller Gaza ceasefire connection extremity Israel’s genocide?
• list 2 of 3Israeli subject says it attacked Hamas leaders successful Qatar’s Doha
• list 3 of 3Video: Explosions successful Doha aft Israel ‘targets Hamas’ leadership

“The Trump medication was notified by the United States subject that Israel was attacking Hamas, which precise unfortunately, was located successful a conception of Doha, the superior of Qatar,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

“Unilaterally bombing wrong Qatar, a sovereign federation and adjacent state of the United States that is moving precise hard and bravely taking risks with america to broker bid does not beforehand Israel oregon America’s goals,” she said. “However, eliminating Hamas, who person profited disconnected the misery of those surviving successful Gaza is simply a worthy goal.”

Leavitt added that Trump directed his peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, to “inform the Qataris of the impending attack”.

She said Trump besides spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aft the strike, but did not accidental if helium threatened immoderate actions against the adjacent US ally. Leavitt added that Trump “believes this unfortunate incidental could service arsenic an accidental for peace”.

Hamas said the onslaught killed 5 of its members, but its main negotiating squad survived. Among the dormant was a Qatari information officer, the country’s interior ministry said. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decried the Israeli onslaught arsenic “cowardly”, portion condemning “any enactment targeting its information and sovereignty”.

The Gulf state had antecedently helped to broker a intermission successful warring successful Gaza successful November 2023 and a six-week ceasefire successful January 2025. Its relation had been regularly praised by some the medication of erstwhile President Joe Biden and President Trump.

Israel struck cardinal Doha conscionable days aft Trump issued a informing to Hamas’s negotiating squad arsenic helium pushed for a caller ceasefire. The US has repeatedly accused Hamas of stalling negotiations. Israel has been accused of repeatedly scuttling the talks.

“The Israelis person accepted my Terms. It is clip for Hamas to judge arsenic well,” Trump wrote connected his Truth Social level connected Sunday.

“I person warned Hamas astir the consequences of not accepting. This is my past warning, determination volition not beryllium different one!”

Following the attack, Hamas said those targeted had been discussing Trump’s latest proposal.

The radical added the onslaught “confirms beyond uncertainty that Netanyahu and his authorities bash not privation to scope immoderate statement and are deliberately seeking to thwart each opportunities and thwart planetary efforts”.

“We clasp the US medication jointly liable with the concern for this crime, owed to its ongoing enactment for the aggression and crimes of the concern against our people,” the radical said.

‘Reduced to nothing’

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Khalil Jahshan, the enforcement manager of the Arab Center Washington DC, said that adjacent if the US did not straight coordinate with Israel connected the strike, countries and residents successful the portion volition besides spot the Trump medication arsenic complicit, contempt its statements connected Tuesday voicing dismay implicit the attack.

“When Israel is fixed a greenish airy to fundamentally wreak havoc implicit the portion and interruption planetary law, interruption sovereignty of nations that are not adjacent enemies, but really precise adjacent allies of the United States, 1 has to wonder: Where does Israel stand, and wherefore would Israel beryllium allowed to bash that?” helium said.

Qatar, which has remained a staunch protagonist of Palestinian rights, was designated a “major non-NATO ally” successful 2022, a presumption the US Department of State describes arsenic being a “powerful symbol” of adjacent strategical ties and a objection of “deep respect for the relationship for the countries to which it is extended”.

Jahshan said the honorific, successful the aftermath of Israel’s strike, has been “reduced to nothing”.

“If that presumption allows you to beryllium exposed to attacks from a US state with a US greenish light. Then, to me, I would alternatively not person friends similar this,” helium said.

Qatar besides houses Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US subject installation successful the Middle East. Along with the US Air Force, the basal houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, and a full of astir 10,000 personnel.

The state has besides positioned itself arsenic a diplomatic plus to the US and different Western powers, for years hosting governmental offices of groups important to their overseas policy, including Hamas and the Taliban. Qatari officials person said they agreed to big the Hamas bureau much than a decennary agone astatine the behest of Washington.

Nabeel Khoury, who formerly served arsenic the lawman main of ngo astatine the US embassy successful Yemen, said the determination of Tuesday’s strike, successful the bosom of Doha and conscionable kilometres from Al Udeid near him stunned.

“As cynical arsenic I americium and arsenic utilized arsenic I americium to Israeli excesses, I person to accidental I was shocked,” helium said. “I deliberation everybody should beryllium shocked and should beryllium woken up from immoderate imagination they’re successful to the world that Israel has present evidently go a wholly rogue state.”

Khoury said the onslaught would apt chill diplomacy, further undermining US credibility successful the portion and giving intermission to immoderate groups oregon allies considering participating successful US-backed negotiations.

“Honestly, I don’t spot however anybody, particularly successful the Arab world, tin proceed to woody with the US,” Khoury said.

Jahshan added that Qatar’s neighbours, including the UAE, which normalised relations with Israel successful 2020, successful Saudi Arabia, which has agelong been eyed arsenic a crown jewel successful Israeli-Arab normalisation, volition consciousness unit to instrumentality a beardown stance.

“If they let 1 of them to beryllium the people of specified an attack, past they’re each targets for specified attacks successful the future,” helium said. “How bash they proceed?”