'Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar ... does not advance Israel or America's goals,' says White House
The White House described Israel’s strike Tuesday on Hamas officials in Doha as an “unfortunate incident,” stressing that President Donald Trump disagreed with its location and conveyed that directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This morning, the Trump administration was notified by the United States military that as Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar. 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,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a news conference.
Leavitt said that while eliminating Hamas remains “a worthy goal,” the president views Qatar as a “strong ally and friend” of the US, and feels “very badly” about the location of the attack.
She said Trump directed Special Envoy Steven Witkoff to inform Qatari officials of the impending attack and personally spoke to Qatari leaders afterward, assuring them that such an incident would not happen again on Qatari soil. Qatar's Foreign Ministry has denied that the Gulf nation was informed in advance of Israel's attack.
Israel's military said it conducted a "precise strike targeting the senior leadership" of the Palestinian group, Hamas, in the Qatari capital.
Qatar strongly condemned the attack as a “blatant violation of international law” and a threat to its sovereignty and security. The Gulf state, along with Egypt and the US, has been leading mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
