White House distances from Israel strikes in Doha, stressing President Donald Trump’s strong support for Qatar. On Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said while eliminating Hamas is a “worthy goal,” an attack in Doha “does not advance Israel or America’s objectives.”
She noted that Trump values Qatar as a close ally and friend of the United States. “The president feels very badly about the location of this attack,” she added. Qatar hosts a major US military base and has played a central role in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
White House distances from Israel strikes in Doha, clarifying that the US military first alerted Trump about the operation. Trump immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatari officials before the strike took place.
After the attack, Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Netanyahu told Trump he wanted to “make peace quickly.” Trump assured Qatar’s leader that such an incident would not happen again on Qatari soil and emphasized the importance of regional peace in his conversation with Netanyahu.
