Qatar’s emir vowed to defend his country’s security after U.S. President Donald Trump, in a phone call Tuesday, condemned Israel’s attack on Doha and praised Qatar’s mediation role in the Gaza war, according to a statement by the Emiri Diwan.
Trump expressed solidarity with Qatar and strongly condemned the Israeli attack, saying diplomatic solutions are the only path to resolving regional disputes.
According to the statement, Trump praised Qatar’s "tireless mediation efforts,” stressing that Doha plays a "key role in achieving peace in the region.”
The U.S. president also underlined that Qatar remains a "trusted strategic ally” of Washington and urged the emir to continue his mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza.
Trump denied any role in Israel's strikes on Qatar, saying the decision to launch the attacks was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's and not his.
"This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding that he wants the Gaza war to "END, NOW!"
Tamim, for his part, condemned the Israeli attack as a "reckless criminal act and a blatant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law.
He held Israel responsible for the consequences, saying its "aggressive policies threaten regional security and obstruct diplomatic efforts to de-escalate.”
The emir called on the international community to "shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities” and hold those behind the attack accountable, voicing hope that Washington would support this "just position.”
The Qatari leader reaffirmed that his country will "take all measures to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty,” while continuing to support regional partners and humanitarian causes "in a way that strengthens international peace and security.” Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, announced the formation of a legal team to respond to the Israeli strike.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/qatars-emir-vows-to-protect-sovereignty-as-trump-condemns-israeli-strike
Israel's military confirmed that it conducted a "precise strike” on senior Hamas leadership, without specifying the Qatari capital.
The U.S. administration got a warning of the attack "just before" it took place, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, and that came from the U.S. military. She declined to answer whether it was Israel that notified the U.S. military or not.
"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," Leavitt said. "However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal."
Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera TV the group's top leadership had survived the Israeli attack. The airstrike followed an evacuation order in Gaza City, where Israel is waging an offensive to try to destroy what is left of the group that has been decimated by Israel's military since October 2023.
Leavitt said Trump directed a top aide, Steve Witkoff, to warn Qatar that the attack was coming, but Doha contradicted her comments, saying that reports that it got a heads-up before the attack were false and the phone call from a U.S. official came when blasts were already being heard in the Qatari capital.
In a phone call with the emir of Qatar after the attack, Trump assured the emir "such a thing will not happen again on their soil." Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Leavitt said.
Two U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. military had been notified by Israel shortly before the strike, but there was no coordination with or approval from Washington.
Hamas said that five group members were killed in the Israeli attack, but its negotiating delegation has survived.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the U.S., has been mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a potential prisoner swap and cease-fire deal.
Qatar is a key security partner of the United States and host to al-Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East.
Israel has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and pushed the territory’s population into famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
