Israeli Strikes on Hamas Leaders in Qatar Spark Rare Trump Rebuke

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday struck senior Hamas leaders in Qatar, a key US ally and mediator in the Gaza conflict, killing at least six people and prompting a sharp condemnation from Qatari officials and a rare public rebuke from US President Donald Trump.

According to Hamas, the strikes killed three bodyguards, a top negotiator’s aide, and the son of senior figure Khalil al-Hayya, though the group said its political bureau leaders survived.

Qatar’s interior ministry reported that one of its internal security officers was also killed and several others were wounded.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani called the attack a “pivotal moment” for the region, describing it as a violation of sovereignty that demanded a collective response.

“There must be a response from the entire region to such barbaric actions,” he told reporters at a press conference in Doha.

Israel said the strikes were ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in retaliation for a deadly Hamas-claimed shooting in Jerusalem the day before that left six people dead.

“Terrorist leaders will no longer be safe anywhere in the world,” Netanyahu declared later at a US embassy event in Jerusalem.

Trump’s Unusual Break with Israel

The strikes on Qatari soil triggered a rare rebuke from Trump, who has typically been a staunch supporter of Israel. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that while eliminating Hamas was “a worthy goal,” an attack in the Qatari capital “does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”

“The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack,” Leavitt said.

Trump reportedly instructed his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to notify Qatar of the impending strikes, but Doha insists the warning only came as the bombs were already falling.

“The call received from an American official came as explosions sounded from the Israeli attack,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari wrote on X.

The airstrikes marked the first time Israel has launched attacks in Qatar, which hosts a major US military base and has served as one of the primary intermediaries — alongside Egypt and Washington — in negotiations to end the Gaza war and secure the release of Israeli hostages.

Blow to Ceasefire Diplomacy

The attack drew swift condemnation from across the globe. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced Israel’s “flagrant violation” of Qatari sovereignty, while German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the strikes jeopardized efforts to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel also expressed alarm, warning that the attack could undermine ongoing efforts to free captives.

“A grave fear now hangs over the price that the hostages may pay,” the group said in a statement.

Despite the escalation, Sheikh Mohammed insisted Qatar would not abandon its mediation role.

“Nothing will deter us from continuing this mediation in the region,” he affirmed.

Still, experts caution that the strikes may have effectively derailed any chance of a near-term truce.

“Israel knows exactly what it just did. It just killed the negotiations and any chance of getting its hostages back,” said Muhammad Shehada, a political analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The strikes come as Israel intensifies its assault on Gaza City, already under months of devastating bombardment since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel triggered the war.

With violence now spreading to the territory of a Western-backed Gulf state, the conflict threatens to enter an even more dangerous phase.