This came during a phone call the Emir of Qatar received on Tuesday from the US President, according to a statement from the Qatari Emiri Diwan. The call followed an Israeli attack targeting residential buildings housing members of Hamas's political bureau in the capital, Doha.
During the call, the Emir of Qatar affirmed that his country "condemns and denounces in the strongest terms this reckless, criminal attack, describing it as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and security and a clear breach of the rules and principles of international law." He noted that Israel "adopts aggressive policies that threaten the security and stability of the region and obstruct efforts to de-escalate and reach sustainable diplomatic solutions."
The Emir of Qatar called on "the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities regarding these outrageous actions and hold those involved accountable," expressing his "hope that the United States of America will support this just approach."
During the call, Trump expressed his "solidarity with the State of Qatar and his strong condemnation of the attack on its sovereignty," noting that "diplomatic solutions are capable of resolving the outstanding issues in the region." He also praised "the tireless mediation efforts of the Emir of Qatar and Doha," stressing that "their role is effective and essential in bringing peace to the region."
Trump stressed that "the State of Qatar is a reliable strategic ally of the United States of America," calling on "the Emir of Qatar to continue his mediation efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip."
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said that the attack on Qatar was a decision made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that such a thing would never happen again in Qatar. He added that the unilateral attack on Qatar serves neither Israel nor the United States' interests, and that he is deeply saddened by Netanyahu's decision in this regard.
Trump said he thanked the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar for their support and friendship with the United States, stressing that Qatar is working hard, courageously, and taking risks with the American side to mediate peace. He added that he directed his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to finalize a defense cooperation agreement with Qatar.
At the same time, the US President said he had instructed his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to inform the Qatari side of the Israeli attack, but "unfortunately, the warning came too late," he said.
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The "Global Resilience" flotilla is preparing to set sail from Tunisia to Gaza today, Wednesday.
Widespread Arab and international rejection of the Israeli attack on Doha. The Security Council will meet on Wednesday.
A new attack on the Steadfastness Flotilla heading to Gaza, and a fire broke out without injuries.
The White House stated on Tuesday that the US administration had prior knowledge of Israel's targeting of the Hamas delegation in Qatar, stressing that the attack "does not serve the interests of Washington or Tel Aviv."
"This morning, the US military informed the Trump administration that Israel carried out an attack on Hamas in Qatar, which has worked diligently with us to achieve peace," White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said in a press statement. Levitt described the attack as an "unfortunate incident," and that Israel's unilateral bombing of the sovereign state of Qatar, a US ally, serves neither Israel nor the United States' goals.
For his part, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "rogue" practicing "state terrorism," and asked incredulously: Will he reshape the Gulf?
Al Thani explained that "the attack targeted the headquarters of the Hamas political bureau leadership during negotiations" regarding reaching an agreement with Israel for a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Tuesday, Qatar announced that Israel had launched a "cowardly attack targeting the residential headquarters of several members of Hamas's political bureau in Doha." The Israeli military quickly announced in a statement that it had attacked "Hamas' leadership" in Doha with its air force, in cooperation with the Shin Bet security service.
Later, Hamas announced that "the enemy failed to assassinate the brothers in the negotiating delegation (it did not name them), while a number of martyrs were killed." It clarified that among the martyrs were Jihad Labad, director of the office of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Gaza, and his son, Humam al-Hayya, in addition to three companions: Abdullah Abdul Wahid, Moamen Hassouna, and Ahmed al-Mamluk. The movement also mourned Badr al-Humaidi, a member of the Qatari Internal Security Forces (Lekhwiya), who was also killed in the attack.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,605 Palestinians martyred, 163,319 wounded, most of them children and women, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 399 Palestinians, including 140 children.
