Washington DC — The White House on Tuesday said President Donald Trump has assured Qatar’s leadership that Israeli airstrikes on Doha will not be repeated, amid sharp differences between Washington and Doha over whether Qatar was warned in advance.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the US military alerted the administration about Israel’s operation, which targeted Hamas members in the Qatari capital. The strikes killed five Hamas figures including the son of senior leader Khalil al-Hayya as well as a Qatari security officer.
“This morning, 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,” Leavitt said while reading from a prepared statement. She called the unilateral action “deeply concerning,” stressing that bombing inside a sovereign nation that is a close US ally “does not advance the goals of Israel or the United States.”
According to Leavitt, Trump immediately instructed Special Envoy Steve Witcoff to notify Qatari officials of the impending strike. However, Doha flatly rejected this version of events. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said the alert came only after explosions were already underway. “Statements circulating about Qatar being informed in advance are false,” al-Ansari wrote on X, adding that the US call came as the attack was unfolding.
Despite the dispute, the White House said Trump personally phoned Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to express regret over the incident. “The president assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil,” Leavitt said, adding that Trump views Qatar as a “strong ally and friend of the United States.”
Leavitt also noted that Trump believes this “unfortunate incident” could open a window for peace efforts. The president, she said, spoke with both the Qatari Emir and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the attack.
Qatar, home to a major US military base, has played a central role in mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023. Later on Tuesday, Qatar’s leadership said it will take “all necessary measures” to defend its sovereignty and security.
The strike drew condemnation from Qatar’s regional partners and several global powers, who criticized Israel for targeting Doha at a sensitive moment when Hamas leaders were weighing a new ceasefire proposal backed by the Trump administration.
