President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Israel on Tuesday after an Israeli airstrike in Doha, Qatar, that targeted senior Hamas leaders, saying the attack on a close U.S. ally was not authorized by him and risking a further strain on fragile diplomacy over a Gaza cease-fire.
Israeli military officials confirmed they had carried out a "precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization," saying the target was a building long identified as a Hamas meeting site and code-named "Judgment Day." Hamas and Qatari officials said at least five people were killed and that a member of Qatar’s internal security forces died; Hamas said the son of its chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, and an office director were among the dead but that senior leaders remained unharmed.
Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that "Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals." He added that he viewed Qatar as "a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack," and wrote, "It was not a decision made by me."
White House officials said the strike risked derailing delicate negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages. The administration said it had been notified shortly before the strike by U.S. military officials. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the White House was informed close to the time of the strike and initially said Trump had directed special envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar of an "impending attack." Leavitt later clarified that the call to Qatar occurred only after U.S. military officials informed the White House that the bombing was already underway.
Qatar denied receiving advance notice. Majed al-Ansari, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said a call from a U.S. official came "during the sound of explosions caused by the Israeli attack in Doha." The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, spoke with Trump by phone, and a Qatari readout said the emir warned the strike threatened Qatar’s role as a mediator and said his country would "take all necessary measures to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty."
Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’s political office since 2012 at Washington’s request, has been shuttling between Hamas, Israel and the United States to broker a cease-fire that could secure the release of roughly 20 remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Qatari officials said Hamas leaders were meeting to discuss a U.S. proposal when the building was struck.
Israeli officials said the strike was in response to a Hamas-claimed shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop earlier Tuesday that Israeli authorities said killed six people. The Israeli military has in recent months carried out strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi targets in Yemen and Iranian facilities; Tuesday’s bombing in Doha marked the first reported Israeli strike on the territory of a Gulf Arab state closely aligned with Washington.
International reaction was swift. The United Arab Emirates called the strike a "dangerous assault on international law" and a "reckless escalation." Saudi Arabia denounced the action as "brutal." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the strike violated Qatari sovereignty and urged an immediate cease-fire, the release of hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the attack as a "flagrant violation" of Qatar’s territorial integrity.
Hamas said the "cowardly assassination attempt" would not change its positions or demands. Israeli officials said they had targeted Khalil al-Hayya, a chief Hamas negotiator, among other leaders, but initial accounts from Qatari and Hamas spokesmen indicated senior figures were not killed.
The strike drew an immediate response from Trump beyond his rebuke of Israel. He wrote that eliminating Hamas was "a worthy goal" but said it should not come at the expense of U.S. allies or broader efforts to end the war. "I want ALL of the Hostages, and bodies of the dead, released, and this War to END, NOW!" he posted, and added that he had spoken to Qatari leaders and "assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil."
U.S. forces have a significant presence in Qatar, where roughly 10,000 American troops are stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, a fact White House and Qatari officials cited as heightening the stakes of the strike. Officials in Washington said they were assessing the implications for U.S.-Qatar relations and for the broader diplomatic effort to achieve a cease-fire and secure the release of hostages.
Officials from Israel did not immediately provide further public comment beyond their confirmation of the strike and its intended targets. The incident marks a notable escalation in a conflict that has already seen airstrikes and assassinations beyond Gaza’s borders and has raised new questions about regional stability and the future of mediated negotiations.
Investigations and diplomatic exchanges were expected to continue as the United States, Qatar and other international actors sought further information about the attack, its casualties and its impact on ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to hostilities in Gaza.