President Trump engaged in an unusually heated exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after learning that Israel had carried out airstrikes in Doha targeting senior Hamas figures without notifying Washington in advance, senior U.S. administration officials said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told Netanyahu the operation was "not a smart decision" and that he was "furious" to learn of the strikes from U.S. military authorities rather than from Israel. According to the report, there were two phone calls between the leaders; in the second call, Trump asked whether the attack had succeeded and was told Netanyahu did not yet know.
The strikes, which Israeli authorities later acknowledged, targeted what the Israeli military described as a gathering of high-ranking Hamas officials in the Qatari capital. Residents reported multiple explosions and smoke over the Katara district. Hamas initially said its members survived, but later reports indicated that six Hamas officials had been killed.
Qatari officials said the attack derailed fragile, U.S.-brokered cease-fire negotiations and expressed outrage that they were not alerted ahead of the operation. Majed Al Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on X that "the statements being circulated about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are baseless… The call from a U.S. official came during the sound of explosions caused by the Israeli attack in Doha."
Senior U.S. administration officials said Trump was particularly frustrated because the strikes appeared to be a unilateral Israeli action taken without coordination with the United States, undermining the diplomatic channels Washington had been cultivating with Qatar, which has played a key role as mediator in talks between Hamas and Israel.
Following the strikes, U.S. officials said Trump instructed his Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to alert Qatari leaders. Qatari officials disputed that characterization, saying the U.S. call came only while the explosions were underway.
White House spokeswoman Leavitt said in a briefing that the target was "very unfortunately located in a section of Doha," and criticized unilateral military action inside a sovereign nation that is an ally and a broker in peace efforts. "Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America's goals," she said. Leavitt added that "eliminating Hamas, who has profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal."
The operation intensified diplomatic strain between Washington and Jerusalem at a moment when U.S. officials have been deeply engaged in efforts to secure a cease-fire and negotiate humanitarian access in Gaza. Senior administration officials told reporters that Trump's frustration with Netanyahu has been "snowballing," and they described the Doha strikes as an example of Israeli actions that exclude close coordination with the United States.
Netanyahu, in a video statement, defended the operation and warned other countries harboring militants that they must act. "I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don't, we will," he said, and indicated that additional strikes against Hamas targets could follow.
The strikes prompted an immediate diplomatic consequence: Hamas withdrew from the cease-fire talks, according to participants in the negotiations. Qatari officials, who have served as intermediaries in previous Hamas-Israel parleys, warned that the attack jeopardized ongoing diplomacy and could complicate U.S. efforts to broker a truce and manage the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Israeli government later confirmed responsibility for the operation and said it had targeted senior members of the militant group; it did not respond to requests for additional comment on the timing of coordination with U.S. officials. U.S. and Qatari accounts differ over precisely when Washington and Doha were informed, leaving questions about who knew what and when.
The episode underscores the delicate balance the Biden administration has sought to maintain between supporting Israel's security objectives and preserving the diplomatic relationships and mediation channels needed to reduce violence and secure civilian relief. The U.S. remains publicly aligned with the goal of degrading Hamas's capabilities while urging de-escalation and coordinated action, but the clash exposed rifts in trust and the limits of allied coordination when military opportunities are seized on short notice.
Officials from the White House, the Israeli government and the Qatari foreign ministry provided competing timelines and characterizations of the notifications around the strike. The full diplomatic fallout is likely to unfold in the coming days as mediators assess whether talks can resume and as U.S. officials weigh responses to an allied operation that U.S. leaders say they were not forewarned about.
The strike and the ensuing confrontation come amid renewed international concern over civilian harm and the prospects for a durable cease-fire. U.S. officials have emphasized the importance of minimizing civilian casualties and maintaining channels for humanitarian assistance, concerns that advocacy groups say have grown more urgent as hostilities have escalated.
For now, the incident has added strain to U.S.-Israel relations at a time when Washington is juggling diplomatic, military and humanitarian priorities in the region. The Israeli government did not respond to a request for comment on this story.