Hours after Israel's strike in Doha on Tuesday, senior Qatari officials held a press conference.
Al Thani expressed anger, saying the Israeli strike could only be described as a betrayal. He accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deceit and of conducting state terrorism, insisting that the talks had been held at Washington's request. According to him, Israel deliberately sabotaged efforts to reach peace.
"The negotiations continued at the request of the United States, but Israel worked to undermine them. International norms must be respected in such an event. History will record this incident. The world cannot ignore Israel's actions, and all measures must be taken against it. Netanyahu's barbarism must be met with a united response," Al Thani said.
A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman added that contrary to reports, Doha had not been briefed in advance of the strike. He said the emirate received a call from an American official only as explosions were already shaking the capital. According to him, Washington formally updated Qatar about the strike on senior Hamas leaders in Doha just ten minutes after the attack.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the Qatari prime minister's remarks, saying: "This morning, the Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar.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".
Trump's public distancing from the strike against Hamas leadership in Qatar does not reflect the administration's private stance, according to American officials attending the MEAD conference in Washington.
Officials familiar with the administration's position said Trump distanced himself because he had to, not out of genuine opposition. The US maintains strong security and economic ties with Qatar. Still, they stressed that both the president and his spokespeople justified the strategic goal of targeting Hamas leaders, while objecting only to the choice of location.
