White House Claims Prior Notification
The White House claimed on Tuesday that Qatar was informed before Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha.
Officials said the attack killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer in a residential district.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Israel targeted Hamas members “unfortunately located in Doha.”
She stressed that bombing inside Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
Leavitt added that President Donald Trump directed envoy Steve Witkoff to notify Qatari officials of the impending strike.
Qatar Rejects US Account
Qatar strongly refuted Washington’s version of events.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari wrote on X that the US call came “during the sound of the explosions.”
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar received notice ten minutes after the attack began.
He condemned the incident as “state terrorism” and a violation of Qatari sovereignty.
Trump Expresses Regret, Shifts Blame
Trump expressed regret, saying he felt “very badly about the location of the attack.”
He assured Qatar that such an incident would not happen again.
The former US president clarified that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the strike decision independently.
“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, not by me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that his envoy’s effort to warn Qatar came “too late.”
Hamas Accuses Israel of Sabotaging Talks
Hamas confirmed five members were killed but said its core negotiating team survived the strike.
The group accused Israel of deliberately undermining peace talks.
It claimed the targeted members had been discussing Trump’s latest ceasefire proposal.
Hamas also blamed Washington, holding the US administration “jointly responsible” due to its backing of Israel.
Qatar’s Mediation Role in Spotlight
Qatar has previously mediated several truce agreements between Israel and Hamas.
These included a pause in fighting in November 2023 and a six-week ceasefire in January 2025.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations had earlier praised Doha’s mediation role in Middle East negotiations.
Trump Pushes Ceasefire Plan
After the strike, Trump reiterated that “The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well.”
He warned Hamas of consequences if it rejected his ceasefire proposal, urging a swift resolution.
